The History of Rome, Book III eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 707 pages of information about The History of Rome, Book III.

The History of Rome, Book III eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 707 pages of information about The History of Rome, Book III.

7.  The right of coining gold and silver was not monopolized by Rome in the provinces so strictly as in Italy, evidently because gold and silver money not struck after the Roman standard was of less importance.  But in their case too the mints were doubtless, as a rule, restricted to the coinage of copper, or at most silver, small money; even the most favourably treated communities of Roman Sicily, such as the Mamertines, the Centuripans, the Halaesines, the Segestans, and also in the main the Pacormitaus coined only copper.

8.  This is implied in Hiero’s expression (Liv. xxii. 37):  that he knew that the Romans made use of none but Roman or Latin infantry and cavalry, and employed “foreigners” at most only among the light-armed troops.

9.  This is shown at once by a glance at the map, and also by the remarkable exceptional provision which allowed the Centuripans to buy to any part of Sicily.  They needed, as Roman spies, the utmost freedom of movement We may add that Centuripa appears to have been among the first cities that went over to Rome (Diodorus, l. xxiii. p. 501).

10.  This distinction between Italy as the Roman mainland or consular sphere on the one hand, and the transmarine territory or praetorial sphere on the other, already appears variously applied in the sixth century.  The ritual rule, that certain priests should not leave Rome (Val.  Max. i. i, 2), was explained to mean, that they were not allowed to cross the sea (Liv.  Ep. 19, xxxvii. 51; Tac.  Ann. iii. 58, 71; Cic.  Phil. xi. 8, 18; comp.  Liv. xxviii. 38, 44, Ep. 59).  To this head still more definitely belongs the interpretation which was proposed in 544 to be put upon the old rule, that the consul might nominate the dictator only on “Roman ground”:  viz. that “Roman ground” comprehended all Italy (Liv. xxvii. 5).  The erection of the Celtic land between the Alps and Apennines into a special province, different from that of the consuls and subject to a separate Standing chief magistrate, was the work of Sulla.  Of course no one will Urge as an objection to this view, that already in the sixth century Gallia or Ariminum is very often designated as the “official district” (-provincia-), usually of one of the consuls. -Provincia-, as is well known, was in the older language not—­what alone it denoted subsequently—­a definite space assigned as a district to a standing chief magistrate, but the department of duty fixed for the individual consul, in the first instance by agreement with his colleague, under concurrence of the senate; and in this sense frequently individual regions in northern Italy, or even North Italy generally, were assigned to individual consuls as -provincia-.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The History of Rome, Book III from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.