“...Legati, qui in Aetoliam ad similis motus conprimendos ierant...” : M. Aemilius Lepidus and his predecessors in the arbitration of Patavium in 175/174 BCE

Undoubtedly, arbitration in the Roman policy regarding the allies was of major importance in the second century. All sorts of mediation were carried out by the Republic in various lands under its control. Most examples of Roman mediation come from the Greek area but this instrument was also used by the Romans in Italy. Despite certain differences, with a certain dose of certainty, one can say that, with respect to conflicts among its allies, as well as between the Republic and its socii, Roman arbitration was undertaken by the Senate following the investigation of the case. The task to resolve the dispute was allocated either to the Roman official present at the site of the conflict or nearby, or specially appointed legati were delegated as mediators. The Senate granted competences to its representatives, which obligated them to conduct effective arbitration. Selected among the Roman aristocracy, they had to enjoy high prestige and hold important functions because they often faced other officials who did not have to approve of their rulings believing themselves to stand higher in the hierarchy than the arbitrators. The high rank of the mediator was also important to the Roman allies being a party to the dispute. It meant that Rome treated its alliances seriously. This made them trust the mediator’s decisions, and approve even unfavourable rulings. These could also be appealed from by presenting the dispute again to Rome for repeated investigation. It must also be mentioned that mediator’s awareness of the context of the case and the site of the dispute was of major significance to the parties. Therefore, arbitrators sent by Rome had often held important functions in areas of the dispute, and knew the relations there. This was because the awareness of mediation procedures and reconciliation skills alone could prove insufficient to resolve the conflict. This was exactly the case in the dispute between the fractions in Patavium in 174, where experienced Roman mediators, previously operating in Aetolia, could not put an end to the dispute probably due to lack on insight into local matters.