Public land in the Roman Republic : a social and economic history of the ager publicus
Roselaar, S.T.
Citation
Roselaar, S. T. (2009, January 14). Public land in the Roman Republic : a social and economic history of the ager publicus. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/13401
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Public land in the Roman Republic: a social and economic history of the ager
publicus
Saskia T. Roselaar
PhD thesis Leiden University 2008
P
UBLIC LAND IN THER
OMANR
EPUBLIC A SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE AGER PUBLICUSProefschrift
ter verkrijging van
de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden
op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof. mr. P.F. van der Heijden,
volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties
te verdedigen op woensdag 14 januari 2009
klokke 13.45 uur
door
S
ASKIAT
ESSAR
OSELAARgeboren te Alkmaar
in 1980
Promotiecommissie:
Promotor: Prof. dr. L. de Ligt
Referent: Prof. dr. D. W. Rathbone (King’s College, Londen) Leden promotiecommissie: Prof. dr. B. van Bavel (Universiteit Utrecht)
Dr. G.J.L.M. Burgers (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) Prof. dr. L. de Ligt
Dr. D.M.L. Onnekink
Prof. dr. D. W. Rathbone (King’s College, Londen) Dr. H. W. Singor
Prof. mr. J.E. Spruit (Universiteit Utrecht)
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1. Problems and questions 7
1.2. Sources on the ager publicus 11
2: Ager publicus from the archaic period to the Gracchi 2.1 Introduction 19
2.2. Ager publicus in early Rome 2.2.1. Ager publicus in archaic Rome 20
2.2.2. Ager publicus in the early Republic 27 2.3. The acquisition of ager publicus by the Roman state 2.3.1. Introduction 33
2.3.2. Latium 39
2.3.3. Etruria and Umbria 41
2.3.4. Sabinum 44
2.3.5. Picenum 45
2.3.6. Campania 45
2.3.7. Samnium 47
2.3.8. Lucania and Bruttium 48
2.3.9. Apulia and Calabria 50
2.3.10. Cisalpine Gaul 50
2.3.11. Viritane distributions 53
2.3.12. Colonization 57
2.3.13. Conclusion 62
2.4. Confiscation of arable and pasture 62
2.5.1. Reactions of the defeated populations to the creation of ager publicus 65 2.5.2. The colonial landscape and the original population 68 2.6. Conclusion 81 3: The legal conditions of ager publicus 3.1. Introduction 83 3.2. Ager occupatorius 84 3.2.1. Ager occupatorius in the early Republic 86 3.2.2. The Lex Licinia de modo agrorum 92 3.2.3. Ager occupatorius after the Lex Licinia 109
3.3. The sale and lease of public land 116
3.3.1. Ager quaestorius 118
3.3.2. Ager in trientabulis 123
3.3.3. Ager censorius 124
3.4. Ager scripturarius 128
3.5. Ager publicus belonging to towns 131
3.6. Conclusion 139
4. The second century and the economy of the ager publicus
4.1. Introduction 141
4.2. Ager publicus after the Second Punic War 143 4.3. The growth of commercial agriculture after the Second Punic War 147
4.3.1. Market production on arable land 148 4.3.2. Regional specialisation 159 4.3.3. Animal husbandry 163 4.3.4. Competition for land in the second century 171 4.3.5. Population developments in the second century 183 4.3.6. Ager publicus and commercial production 192 4.3.7. The use of ager publicus by the small farmer 195 4.4. Economic developments under the influence of population growth
4.4.1. Population growth and the privatization of common lands 201 4.4.2. Alternative survival strategies for small farmers 205
4.5. Conclusion 210
5. The Gracchi and the privatization of ager publicus
5.1. Introduction 213
5.2. The agrarian reforms of the Gracchi
5.2.1. The Gracchan land reforms: introduction 214 5.2.2. The aims of the Gracchan land reform 216 5.2.3. The distribution of land by the Lex Sempronia agraria 221 5.2.4. The Gracchan land distributions and the Italians 235 5.2.5. Conclusion: the result of the Gracchan land reforms 243 5.3. The post-Gracchan legislation 248
5.3.1. The three laws of Appian 248 5.3.2. The three laws of Appian and the Lex agraria of 111 252 5.3.3. The Lex agraria of 111 263 5.4. Ager publicus after 111 270 5.4.1. Occupation after 111 270 5.4.2. The Social War 273 5.4.3. Land in first-century politics 275
5.5. Conclusion 280
General conclusion 283
Appendix 291
Bibliography 325
Samenvatting 361
Acknowledgements 367
Curriculum vitae 369
Illustrations and figures 371
