Niebuhr's lectures on Roman history, Vol. 1 (of 3)Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
History
Niebuhr's lectures on Roman history, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
Rome -- History
latter are perfectly right. The festivals existed long before Tarquin,
as long as there was a Latin people. Yet, at the same time, the other
opinion has arisen from a mistake which is very easily accounted for;
for if Tarquin the Proud obtained the supremacy over Latium, he would
also naturally preside at the sacrifices as the Ætolians did at Delphi
during their hegemony, from whence the well known expression in the
inscriptions, ἱερομνημονούντων Αἰτωλῶν.
In order to make a full use of Latium for his own ends, whilst yet
he did not quite trust the Latins, he did not wish to admit their
troops in distinct legions, under their own officers. He therefore
combined the Roman with the Latin legions, and then divided these again
into two parts. The Latins had a similar organization to that of the
Romans: the system of centuries among the latter was based upon the
thirty tribes, among the former upon the thirty towns. He united two
centuries into a maniple, the Roman officer being _primus centurio_;
as in the East Indian possessions of the English, the officers are
exclusively Europeans.[85] Livy confounds the _primus centurio_ with
the _primipilus_. Here the maniples now first make their appearance;
and this is the plain meaning of what Livy tells in a confused manner,
but which may certainly be unravelled.
We are, however, not a little puzzled as to what we are to believe
of the detached accounts. It is stated that Tarquin had established
colonies at Signia and Circeii, and that he had taken Gabii by
stratagem. The latter is false, and the accounts are compiled out of
two in Herodotus of Zopyrus and of Thrasybulus of Miletus. Authentic is
the alliance with Gabii, from which we see that Gabii was out of the
union of the thirty towns, the relation with which had been already
settled before. Still in the times of Horace, the original treaty, one
of the few which had been preserved, was kept in a temple. It is clear
from it, that Gabii had acquired isopolity by a formal compact.
THE REGIFUGIUM. ROME A REPUBLIC.
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