No Limits? The Triumvirate rei publicae constituendae as a Magistracy ad tempus incertum

Ugo Coli argued that in the Roman Republic there existed the so-called magistrates ad tempus incertum, in whose case the authority did not automatically lapse after a given period, but continued until they voluntarily abdicated upon completion of their assigned task. This paper examines the way in which this model is applied by several scholars, particularly Frederik Vervaet, to the triumvirate rei publicae constituendae. This study contends that Coli’s approach fails to provide a coherent explanation for our ancient evidence, even when considering the modifications proposed to his view so far. Thus, Vervaet’s reasoning leads to an irresolvable contradiction between the understanding that Octavian formally retained the office of a triumvir until 27 BC, while actively concealing this fact in his propaganda, and the idea that, in 27 BC, he openly and emphatically abdicated from the triumvirate to demonstrate the restoration of legitimate order.