Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-r6qrq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T23:32:58.969Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Servian Reforms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2012

Hugh Last
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The origin and purpose of the centuriate organization are a subject for which the surviving evidence is too scanty to permit of any confident interpretation; and it might well be argued that, when so much has been written already about so little, it is idle to write more. Nevertheless, I have ventured to put down the remarks which follow because, unless I am wrong, there are still some relevant facts which have not been taken into account, and also because certain recent treatments of the matter, by concentrating on selected details without regard to the fundamental problem of the reason why the Servian system, was introduced, seem to me to have moved rather away from the truth than towards it. But for the conclusions suggested below at most I do not claim more than that they deserve consideration.

In dealing with so complicated a piece of history within the limits of an article it is obviously both necessary to be selective and more than usually desirable to be clear. So I have not hesitated either to pass by the less relevant detail in silence or to mention points on which opinion is now generally agreed when such points are essential to make the argument intelligible. For help in an attempt to attain these ends I owe my hearty thanks to four friends—Professors Buckland and de Zulueta, Dr. David Daube and Dr. Momigliano, and in particular also to the first three of them for their generosity in putting at my disposal their knowledge of recent literature in the field of private law. They must not, however, be assumed to share any of the views here outlined.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 35 , Issue 1-2 , November 1945 , pp. 30 - 48
Copyright
Copyright ©Hugh Last 1945. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Römische Forschungen I1 (Berlin, 1864), 140 ff.

2 Römische Geschichte I, page of note 1296, ff.

3 Ueber Entstehung und Zusammensetzung der altrömischen Volksversammlungen (Berlin, 1880), 69 ff.

4 Die Könige im alten Italien: ein Fragment (Berlin. 1887).

5 Geschichte des Altertums 21 (Stuttgart, 1893), 512 f.

6 ‘The Social Composition of the Primitive Roman Populus,’ in Political Science Quarterly 21, 1906, 498 ff.CrossRefGoogle Scholar: see also The Roman Assemblies from their Origin to the End of the Republic (New York, 1909), 16 ffGoogle Scholar.

7 ‘I veri “Fondatori di Roma”’, in Atti della Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia, Serie 3, Rendiconti 2, 1923–1924, 83 ffGoogle Scholar.

8 Storia dei Romani I (Turin, 1907), 234Google Scholar.

9 Die Verfassung und Verwaltung des römischen Staates 1 (Leipzig, 1881), 84Google Scholar. A distant approach to the same view, apparently made without knowledge of Madvig's remark, is to be found in V. Costanzi's article ‘Sul divieto di connubio fra patrizi e plebei’ in Atti del I° Congresso nazionale di Studi Romani (Rome, 1929), 2, 171 ff.Google Scholar, at 176 f.

10 See e.g. Soltau o.c. in not e 3 above, 92 n. 2.

11 Römische Geschichte 3 (Tübingen, 1858), 17 n. 2Google Scholar.

12 In M. Tulli Ciceronis pro Publio Sestio oratio ad iudices, edited … by Holden, H. A. (London, 1883, etc.), 249Google Scholar.

13 See Blakeway, A., ‘Demaratus’ in JRS 25, 1935, 129 ff., at 133Google Scholar.

14 ib. 136.

15 Aspects of Social Behavior in Ancient Rome (Cambridge, Mass., 1932), 124Google Scholar. See also An Economic Survey of Ancient Rome I: Rome and Italy of the Republic (Baltimore, 1933) 5Google ScholarPubMed; and for details Scott, I. G., ‘Early Roman Traditions in the Light of Archaeology’ in Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 7, 1929, 7 ff.CrossRefGoogle Scholar, at 69 ff., and Ryberg, I. Scott, ‘An Archaeological Record of Rome from the Seventh to the Second Century B.C.’ (Studies and Documents 13—University of Pennsylvania Press, 1940), cc. i and iiGoogle Scholar.

16 The evidence is conveniently collected and discussed by Tamborini, F., ‘La vita economica nella Roma degli ultimi re’ in Athenaeum (Pavia) 18 (N.S. 8), 1930, 299 ffGoogle Scholar. Cf. Besnier, R., ‘L'état économique de Rome aux temps des rois’ in RD, Sér. 4, Ann. 13, 1934, 405 ff. at 445 ffGoogle Scholar.

17 For a detailed discussion of this point see, e.g., Soltau o.c. in n. 3 above, 239 ff.

18 M. Tulli Ciceronis pro A. Licinio Archia poeta oratio ad iudices, edited by Reid, J. S. (Cambridge, 1877, etc.), 14 fGoogle Scholar.

19 ‘Die Befreiung durch Census’ in Festgabe Herrn Dr. Rudolph von Ihering … dargebracht von der Juristenfakultät zu Tübingen (Tübingen, 1892), 123 ff., at 136 ffGoogle Scholar.

20 ‘L'affranchissement par la vindicte’ contributed to Studi in onore di Salvatore Riccobono, 3, at p. 17 of the offprint (Palermo, 1932)Google Scholar: at p. 74 in the reprint to be found in Lévy-Bruhl, H., Quelques problèmes du très ancien droit romain (Paris, 1934)Google Scholar.

21 Buckland, W. W., A Manual of Roman Private Law2 (Cambridge, 1939), 43Google Scholar.

22 Arangio-Ruiz, V., ‘Romanisti e Latinisti’ in Studi Sassaresi, Ser. 2, 16, 1938 (Scritti di Diritto e di Economia in onore di Flaminio Mancaleoni), 15 ffGoogle Scholar.

23 Art. cit. in n. 22, p. 32 (p. 20 of the offprint).

24 About the new territorial districts into which Solomon divided his kingdom (1 Kings iv, 7 ff.), on which see, e.g., Albright, W. F., ‘The Administrative Divisions of Israel and Judah,’ in The Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society 5, 1925, 17 ff.Google Scholar, at 25 ff., I say no more than that the evidence for their character seems to me inadequate to show whether they provide a parallel to the development here in question or not.

25 A History of Greece, part 2, ch. 31, fourth paragraph: ‘New Edition’ (London, 1907), 3, 347 fGoogle ScholarPubMed.

26 Römische Geschichte I, page of note 968.

27 Reden und Aufsätze3 (Berlin, 1912), 11Google Scholar.

28 The History of Rome, book 1, ch. 6: ‘New Edition’ (London, 1894, etc.), 1, 120Google ScholarPubMed.

29 ‘Die römischen Tribus in historischer und geographischer Beziehung,’ in Zeitschrift für die Alterthumswissenschaft 3, 1836, 915 ffGoogle Scholar.

30 Die römischen Tribus in administrativer Beziehung (Altona, 1844), 2Google Scholar.

31 Römische Forschungen I1 (Berlin, 1864), 151 ffGoogle Scholar.

32 R. Staatsrecht 3 (Leipzig, 1887), 164 f.Google Scholar: Droit public 6, 1, 184 f.

33 ‘“Tribules” ed “aerarii”: una ricerca di diritto pubblico romano’, in Athenaeum (Pavia) 21 (N.S. II), 1933, 150 ffGoogle Scholar.

34 Storia di Roma 3 (Rome, 1927), 540Google Scholar.

35 Storia di Roma 1, 1 (Turin, 1898), 320 n. 1Google Scholar: Storia critica di Roma 1, 2 (Rome, 1913), 487 n. 1Google Scholar.

36 Die römischen Tribus … 3: R. Staatsrecht 3, 164 with n. 5; Droit public 6, 1, 184 with n. 5.

37 Roman Private Law (Cambridge, 1902), 1, 479 n. 1Google Scholar.

38 R. Staatsrecht 23, 402 n. 2: Droit public 4, 83 n. 2.

39 R. Staatsrecht 23, 392 ff.: Droit public 4,71 ff.

40 Praelectiones Academicae in Schola Historices Camdeniana (Oxford, 1692), 710 ffGoogle Scholar.

41 See Sherwin-White, A. N., The Roman Citizenship (Oxford, 1939), 10Google Scholar.

42 Livy, 1, 45, 2 ff.: Dionysius 4, 26, 2 ff.

43 See Wissowa, G., Religion und Kultus der Römer2 (Munich, 1912), 39Google Scholar.

44 In Atti del 2° Congresso Nazionale di Studi Romani 3 (Rome, 1931), 91 ffGoogle Scholar.

45 ‘Ancora sull' età dell' ordinamento centuriato’, in Athenaeum (Pavia) 22 (N.S. 12), 1934, 57 ffGoogle Scholar.

46 ‘Le origini dell' ordinamento centuriato,’ in Riv. fil. 61 (N.S. II), 1933, 289 ffGoogle Scholar.

47 Geschichte der Kriegskunst im Rahmen der politischen Geschichte I2 (Berlin, 1908), 265 n. 1Google Scholar. (The third edition of this work, to which the reference should properly be given, is at present inaccessible to me.)

48 Livy 1, 43, 1 ff.: Dionysius 4, 16, 2 ff.

49 Gellius 6 (7), 13, 1 f.: cf. Festus p. 100 L., 113 M.

50 Among recent exponents of this view may be mentioned Beloch, K. J. (Römische Geschichte bis zum Beginn der punischen Kriege—Berlin-Leipzig, 1926–291)Google Scholar and Jones, H. Stuart (CAH 7, 435Google Scholar).

51 The History of Rome, book 1, ch. 6: ‘New Edition’ (London, 1894, etc.), 1, 120Google ScholarPubMed.

52 De legg. 3, 44: cf. ib. 11.

53 Cicero, de re p. 2, 61.

54 See above, p. 35.

55 Livy 2, 56, 2 ff.: Dionysius 9, 41, 2 ff.

56 Soltau, o.c. in n. 3 above, 344 ff.; Delbrück, o.c. in n. 47 above, 262 f.

57 See, e.g., Fraccaro, o.c. in n. 33 above, 157 ff.

58 The History of Rome, book 2, ch. 3: ‘New Edition’ (London, 1894, etc.), 1, 396Google ScholarPubMed: cf. R. Staatsrecht 23, 402 ff.; Droit public 4, 83 ff.

59 O.c. in n. 33 above, 161 f.

60 For proposals of this sort see, e.g., Pais, E., Storia di Roma 5 (Rome, 1928), 199 ff.Google Scholar, and K. J. Beloch, o.c. in n. 50 above, 266.

61 See Mommsen, , R. Staatsrecht 3, 483Google Scholar: Droit public 4, 175.

62 On this see AJP 58, 1937, 468 ffGoogle Scholar.

63 See above p. 45 and n. 58, and, earlier, Die römschen Tribus … 154 f. with n. 143.

64 R. Staatsrecht 3, 174 n. 9: Droit public 6, 1, 196 n. 1.

65 See, e.g., Pliny, , NH 18, 13Google Scholar.

66 O.c. in n. 33 above, 152 n. 3.