La scelta dei funzionari equestri: relazioni personali o competenze specifiche? Il caso degli ab epistulis del II secolo d.C

This paper explores the selection process of the Roman equestrian officials in the sec- ond century AD with the question, What roles did personal relationships and specific skills play? Among all the high equestrian offices, the post ab epistulis provides a valuable case study because of its constant proximity to the person of the emperor and because of its tasks, since the officials ab epistulis had to find the best form by which to communicate what the emperor said. Scholars up to now have argued that these officials were required to possess literary skills. By analyzing all the ab epistulis known between the reign of Hadrian and the age of the Severan dynasty, the paper argues that, in selecting the directors of this office, personal relationships appear to be more re- levant than the specific skills the officials were in possession of