Misplaced Pages

#210789

66-525: The Fasti Capitolini , or Capitoline Fasti , are a list of the chief magistrates of the Roman Republic , extending from the early fifth century BC down to the reign of Augustus , the first Roman emperor . Together with similar lists found at Rome and elsewhere, they form part of a chronology referred to as the Fasti Annales , Fasti Consulares , or Consular Fasti , or occasionally just

132-522: A beech forest 1,268 m (4,160 ft) above sea level . During the 1930s, Benito Mussolini had an antique marble Roman column built at the point where the river rises, inscribed QUI NASCE IL FIUME SACRO AI DESTINI DI ROMA ("Here is born the river / sacred to the destinies of Rome"). An eagle is on the top of the column, part of its fascist symbolism . The first miles of the Tiber run through Valtiberina before entering Umbria. The genesis of

198-523: A Plebeian Tribune, the Tribune could interpose the sacrosanctity of his person ( intercessio ) to physically stop that particular action. Any resistance against the tribune was considered to be a capital offense. The most significant constitutional power that a magistrate could hold was that of "Command" ( Imperium ), which was held only by consuls and praetors. This gave a magistrate the constitutional authority to issue commands (military or otherwise). Once

264-559: A century later. The heavy sedimentation of the river made maintaining Ostia difficult, prompting the emperors Claudius and Trajan to establish a new port on the Fiumicino in the first century AD. They built a new road, the Via Portuensis , to connect Rome with Fiumicino, leaving the city by Porta Portese (the port gate). Both ports were eventually abandoned due to silting. Several popes attempted to improve navigation on

330-464: A kind of swamp and river bank weed ( Typha angustifolia ), Iberian hydronyms Tibilis , Tebro and Numidian Aquae Tibilitanae . Yet another etymology is from *dubri-, water, considered by Alessio as Sicel , whence the form Θύβρις later Tiberis. This root *dubri- is widespread in Western Europe e.g. Dover, Portus Dubris. According to legend, the city of Rome was founded in 753 BC on

396-576: A magistrate's annual term in office expired, he had to wait ten years before serving in that office again. Since this did create problems for some magistrates, these magistrates occasionally had their command powers extended, which, in effect, allowed them to retain the powers of their office as a promagistrate . The consul of the Roman Republic was the highest ranking ordinary magistrate. Two Consuls were elected every year, and they had supreme power in both civil and military matters. Throughout

462-554: A wall. Other portions were found scattered nearby, and the scholars rescued them, ordering further tunnels dug in order to search for more fragments. Some were found embedded in nearby buildings, indicating that stone from the same area had previously been reused. Thirty fragments of the Fasti Capitolini were recovered, along with twenty-six fragments of the Acta Triumphalia , or Fasti Triumphales , dating to

528-602: Is referred to as "swimming the Thames " or "crossing the Thames". In ancient Rome, executed criminals were thrown into the Tiber. People executed at the Gemonian stairs were thrown in the Tiber during the later part of the reign of the emperor Tiberius . This practice continued over the centuries. For example, the corpse of Pope Formosus was thrown into the Tiber after the infamous Cadaver Synod held in 897. In addition to

594-485: Is used for missing or unknown filiations or other abbreviated praenomina . Other missing text is indicated with an ellipsis in brackets, [...]. These tables uses modern conventions for distinguishing between I and J, and between U and V. Otherwise, the names and notes are given as spelled in the fasti. Archaic Roman spellings, such as Aimilius for Aemilius , and caussa for causa , have been preserved. A list of Latin phrases and abbreviations appearing below follows

660-599: The Fasti Capitolini may have been inscribed on the Arch of Augustus , in 18 BC. In either case, they were subsequently continued down to the death of Augustus in AD 14. In 1540, Pope Paul III authorized the recycling of stone from the forum for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica. The structures in the part of the forum where the fasti were discovered were dismantled between August 15 and September 14, 1546. Some of

726-592: The auspices (a ritual search for omens from the Gods), and was vested with legal authority ( imperium ) by the popular assembly. The Roman magistrates were elected officials of the Roman Republic. Each Roman magistrate was vested with a degree of power. Dictators (a temporary position for emergencies) had the highest level of power. After the Dictator was the Consul (the highest position if not an emergency), and then

SECTION 10

#1732773224211

792-413: The dictators and magistri equitum for the years in which they were appointed, as well as the censors , together with the decemvirs and consular tribunes for the years in which they were elected in place of consuls. The original form of the fasti is thought to have consisted of four large tablets, each of which was several feet high. The first ran to 390 BC, the second to 293, the third to 154, and

858-535: The fasti . The Capitoline Fasti were originally engraved on marble tablets erected in the Roman forum . The main portions were discovered in a fragmentary condition, and removed from the forum in 1546, as ancient structures were dismantled to produce material for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica . They were brought to the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the adjacent Capitoline Hill , where they remain as part of

924-402: The kings , as did the related Fasti Triumphales . The first year which is partially extant is 483 BC. The last surviving year is AD 13, and the fasti probably ended the following year. The extant years include the names of the consuls , who gave their names to each year, as well as consuls suffecti , who replaced those who resigned or died during their year of office. The fasti also include

990-582: The people of Rome , and were each vested with a degree of power called "major powers" ( maior potestas ). Dictators had more "major powers" than any other magistrate , and after the dictator was the censor , and then the consul , and then the praetor , and then the curule aedile , and then the quaestor . Any magistrate could obstruct (" veto ") an action that was being taken by a magistrate with an equal or lower degree of magisterial powers. By definition, plebeian tribunes and plebeian aediles were technically not magistrates since they were elected only by

1056-578: The plebeians , and as such, they were independent of all other powerful magistrates . During the transition from republic to the Roman empire, the constitutional balance of power shifted from the Roman Senate back to the executive (the Roman Emperor ). Theoretically, the senate elected each new emperor; in practice each emperor chose his own successor, though the choice was often overruled by

1122-507: The Praetor, and then the Censor, and then the curule aedile , and finally the quaestor . Each magistrate could only veto an action that was taken by a magistrate with an equal or lower degree of power. Since plebeian tribunes (as well as plebeian aediles ) were technically not magistrates, they relied on the sacrosanctity of their person to obstruct. If one did not comply with the orders of

1188-488: The Roman Empire were elected individuals of the ancient Roman Empire . The powers of an emperor (his imperium ) existed, in theory at least, by virtue of his legal standing. The two most significant components to an emperor's imperium were the "tribunician powers" ( potestas tribunicia ) and the "proconsular powers" ( imperium proconsulare ). In theory at least, the tribunician powers (which were similar to those of

1254-519: The Tiber in the 17th and 18th centuries, with extensive dredging continuing into the 19th century. Trade was boosted for a while, but by the 20th century, silting had resulted in the river only being navigable as far as Rome. The Tiber was once known for its floods — the Campus Martius is a flood plain and would regularly flood to a depth of 2 m (6 ft 7 in). There were also numerous major floods; for example, on September 15, 1557

1320-431: The ancient port of Ostia Antica 6 kilometres (4 miles) inland. However, it does not form a proportional delta , owing to a strong north-flowing sea current close to the shore, due to the steep shelving of the coast, and to slow tectonic subsidence . The source of the Tiber consists of two springs 10 m (33 ft) away from each other on Mount Fumaiolo . These springs are called Le Vene . The springs are in

1386-582: The appearance of completeness. The current reconstruction is part of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum , appearing in the first volume, and since amended several times. Although some scholars have questioned the accuracy of the Capitoline Fasti, particularly with regard to the earliest portion, the overall chronology is remarkably consistent from one source to the next, and all of the Roman historians and annalists place

SECTION 20

#1732773224211

1452-436: The army or civil war. The powers of an emperor (his imperium ) existed, in theory at least, by virtue of his legal standing. The two most significant components to an emperor's imperium were the "tribunician powers" and the "proconsular powers". In theory at least, the tribunician powers (which were similar to those of the plebeian tribunes under the old republic) gave the emperor authority over Rome's civil government, while

1518-402: The banks of the Tiber about 25 km (16 mi) from the sea at Ostia . Tiber Island , in the center of the river between Trastevere and the ancient city center, was the site of an important ancient ford and was later bridged. Legend says Rome's founders, the twin brothers Romulus and Remus , were abandoned on its waters, where they were rescued by the she-wolf, Lupa. The river marked

1584-474: The beginning of the Republic within a span of about seven or eight years. The Fasti Capitolini represent the longest version of the chronology, and current scholarly opinion accepts nearly all of the list, with two main exceptions: the so-called "dictator years", four years during the latter part of the fourth century BC, in which the dictators of the preceding years are said to have continued in office without

1650-709: The boundary between the lands of the Etruscans to the west, the Sabines to the east and the Latins to the south. Benito Mussolini , born in Romagna , adjusted the boundary between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna , so that the springs of the Tiber would lie in Romagna. The Tiber was critically important to Roman trade and commerce, as ships could reach as far as 100 km (60 mi) upriver; some evidence indicates that it

1716-401: The census, the emperor had the power to assign individuals to a new social class, including the senatorial class, which gave the emperor unchallenged control over senate membership. The emperor also had the power to interpret laws and to set precedents. In addition, the emperor controlled the religious institutions , since, as emperor, he was always Pontifex Maximus , and a member of each of

1782-565: The city of Rome , which was founded on its eastern banks. The river rises at Mount Fumaiolo in Central Italy and flows in a generally southerly direction past Perugia and Rome to meet the sea at Ostia . Known in ancient times as Flavus (Latin for 'the Blond';), in reference to the yellowish colour of its water, the Tiber has advanced significantly at its mouth, by about 3 km (2 mi), since Roman times, leaving

1848-466: The civil liberties of all Roman citizens. In times of military emergency, a Roman Dictator was appointed for a term of six months. Constitutional government dissolved, and the Dictator became the absolute master of the state. The Dictator then appointed a Master of the Horse to serve as his most senior lieutenant. Often the Dictator resigned his office as soon as the matter that caused his appointment

1914-489: The collection of the Capitoline Museums , together with other Roman antiquities. Together with the histories of writers such as Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus , the Capitoline Fasti form one of the primary sources for Roman chronology. The term fasti originally referred to calendars published by the pontifices , indicating the days on which business could be transacted ( fasti ) and those on which it

1980-435: The election of consuls; and also a span of time leading up to the passage of the lex Licinia Sextia in 367 BC, during which the tribunes of the plebs are said to have prevented the election of annual magistrates for five years, in order to force the passage of the law. The four "dictator years" are generally regarded as a late interpolation, as such a remarkable departure from the Roman constitution, which normally limited

2046-471: The emperor held the same grade of military command authority as did the chief magistrates (the Roman consuls and proconsuls) under the republic. However, the emperor was not subject to the constitutional restrictions that the old consuls and proconsuls had been subject to. Eventually, he was given powers that, under the republic, had been reserved for the Roman Senate and the Roman assemblies including

Fasti Capitolini - Misplaced Pages Continue

2112-455: The emperor. Imperial Consuls could preside over the senate, could act as judges in certain criminal trials, and had control over public games and shows. The Praetors also lost a great deal of power, and ultimately had little authority outside of the city. The chief Praetor in Rome, the urban praetor, outranked all other Praetors, and for a brief time, they were given power over the treasury. Under

2178-458: The empire, the plebeian tribunes remained sacrosanct, and, in theory at least, retained the power to summon, or to veto, the senate and the assemblies. Augustus divided the college of Quaestors into two divisions, and assigned one division the task of serving in the senatorial provinces, and the other the task of managing civil administration in Rome. Under Augustus, the Aediles lost control over

2244-512: The four major priesthoods. Under the empire, the citizens were divided into three classes, and for members of each class, a distinct career path was available (known as the cursus honorum ). The traditional magistracies were only available to citizens of the senatorial class. The magistracies that survived the fall of the republic were (by their order of rank per the cursus honorum ) the consulship, praetorship, plebeian tribunate, aedileship, quaestorship, and military tribunate. If an individual

2310-403: The fourth to 9 BC, with the remaining years to AD 14 in the margin. The fasti include a number of notes, indicating when the office-holders mentioned resigned, died, or were killed during their years of office; and they provide additional information, such as the years in which important wars began, the reasons for the nomination of dictators, the number of the lustrum taken by the censors, and

2376-459: The grain supply to a board of commissioners. It was not until after they lost the power to maintain order in the city, however, that they truly became powerless, and the office disappeared entirely during the 3rd century. Tiber The Tiber ( / ˈ t aɪ b ər / TY -bər ; Italian : Tevere [ˈteːvere] ; Latin : Tiberis ) is the third-longest river in Italy and

2442-473: The king could unilaterally declare war, for example, he typically wanted to have such declarations ratified by the popular assembly. The period between the death of a king, and the election of a new king, was known as the interregnum . During the interregnum , the senate elected a senator to the office of Interrex to facilitate the election of a new king. Once the Interrex found a suitable nominee for

2508-533: The king left the city, an Urban Prefect presided over the city in place of the absent king. The king also had two Quaestors as general assistants, while several other officers assisted the king during treason cases. In war, the king occasionally commanded only the infantry, and delegated command over the cavalry to the commander of his personal bodyguards, the Tribune of the Celeres. The king sometimes deferred to precedent, often simply out of practical necessity. While

2574-528: The king-list of Alba Longa , was said to have drowned in the River Albula, which was afterwards called Tiberis . The myth may have explained a memory of an earlier, perhaps pre-Indo-European name for the river, "white" ( alba ) with sediment, or "from the mountains" from pre-Indo-European word "alba, albion" mount, elevated area. Tiberis/Tifernus may be a pre-Indo-European substrate word related to Aegean tifos "still water", Greek phytonym τύφη

2640-550: The kingship, he presented this nominee to the senate for an initial approval. If the senate voted in favor of the nominee, that person stood for formal election before the People of Rome in the Curiate Assembly (the popular assembly). After the nominee was elected by the popular assembly, the senate ratified the election by passing a decree. The Interrex then formally declared the nominee to be king. The new king then took

2706-799: The last discovered in the Tiber in 1888. Today, the Palazzo forms part of the Capitoline Museums, and the Capitoline Fasti are housed in the Sala della Lupa , the Salon of the Wolf, together with the Capitoline Wolf , for which the gallery is named. Due to the fragmentary condition of the Fasti Capitolini, it is not entirely certain whether they began with the first year of the Republic, or with

Fasti Capitolini - Misplaced Pages Continue

2772-417: The last table. Roman magistrate During the transition from monarchy to republic, the constitutional balance of power shifted from the executive (the Roman king ) to the Roman Senate. When the Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC, the powers that had been held by the king were transferred to the Roman consuls , of which two were to be elected each year. Magistrates of the republic were elected by

2838-721: The longest in Central Italy , rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing 406 km (252 mi) through Tuscany , Umbria , and Lazio , where it is joined by the River Aniene , to the Tyrrhenian Sea , between Ostia and Fiumicino . It drains a basin estimated at 17,375 km (6,709 sq mi). The river has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of

2904-507: The magistrates and events from the most recent reconstruction of the Fasti Capitolini . The AUC years supplied are based on the Varronian chronology . The actual fasti included dates (provided here in the notes) that are equivalent to taking the year of the founding of Rome as 752 BC rather than 753 BC. Portions of names and text in square brackets have been interpolated. Periods (full stops) have been supplied for abbreviations. An em dash

2970-534: The markets, and over public games and shows. Quaestors usually assisted the consuls in Rome, and the governors in the provinces with financial tasks. Though they technically were not magistrates, the Plebeian Tribunes and the Plebeian Aediles were considered to be the representatives of the people. Thus, they acted as a popular check over the senate (through their veto powers), and safeguarded

3036-545: The name Tiber probably was pre-Latin, like the Roman name of Tibur (modern Tivoli ), and may be specifically Italic in origin. The same root is found in the Latin praenomen Tiberius . Also, Etruscan variants of this praenomen are in Thefarie (borrowed from Faliscan *Tiferios , lit. '(He) from the Tiber' < *Tiferis 'Tiber') and Teperie (via the Latin hydronym Tiber ). Legendary king Tiberinus , ninth in

3102-456: The number of years since the founding of Rome, according to the era of Cato , given every ten years. Cato placed the founding of Rome one year later than Varro, so the years given in the fasti appear later than the dates given in the columns on the left. The Capitoline Fasti were first transcribed and published by Marliani at Rome in 1549, Sigonius at Modena in 1550, and Robortelli at Venice in 1555. Early publications were heavily edited to give

3168-583: The numerous modern bridges over the Tiber in Rome, there remain a few ancient bridges (now mostly pedestrian-only) that have survived in part (e.g., the Ponte Milvio and the Ponte Sant'Angelo ), or in whole ( Pons Fabricius ). In addition to bridges, the Metro trains use tunnels. Following the standard Roman depiction of rivers as powerfully built reclining male gods, the Tiber, also interpreted as

3234-566: The offices of dictator and Master of the Horse during his consulship in 44 BC, while the offices of Interrex and Roman censor were abolished shortly thereafter. The executive magistrates of the Roman Kingdom were elected officials of the ancient Roman Kingdom . During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman King was the principal executive magistrate. He was the chief executive, chief priest, chief lawgiver , chief judge, and

3300-463: The plebeian tribunes under the old republic) gave the emperor authority over Rome's civil government, while the proconsular powers (similar to those of military governors, or Proconsuls, under the old republic) gave him authority over the Roman army. While these distinctions were clearly defined during the early empire, eventually they were lost, and the emperor's powers became less constitutional and more monarchical. By virtue of his proconsular powers,

3366-524: The proconsular powers (similar to those of military governors, or proconsuls , under the old republic) gave him authority over the Roman army. While these distinctions were clearly defined during the early empire, eventually they were lost, and the emperor's powers became less constitutional and more monarchical. The traditional magistracies that survived the fall of the republic were the consulship, praetorship , plebeian tribunate , aedileship , quaestorship , and military tribunate . Mark Antony abolished

SECTION 50

#1732773224211

3432-413: The right to declare war, to ratify treaties, and to negotiate with foreign leaders. The emperor's degree of Proconsular power gave him authority over all of Rome's military governors, and thus, over most of the Roman army. The emperor's tribunician powers gave him power over Rome's civil apparatus, as well as the power to preside over, and thus to dominate, the assemblies and the senate. When an emperor

3498-522: The river flooded to a height of 62 feet above sea level and over 1,000 people died. The river is now confined between high stone embankments, which were begun in 1876. Within the city, the riverbanks are lined by boulevards known as lungoteveri , streets "along the Tiber". Because the river is identified with Rome, the terms "swimming the Tiber" or "crossing the Tiber" have come to be the shorthand term for converting to Roman Catholicism . A Catholic who converts to Protestantism, in particular Anglicanism,

3564-550: The riverside in Rome itself, lining the riverbanks around the Campus Martius area. The Romans connected the river with a sewer system (the Cloaca Maxima ) and with an underground network of tunnels and other channels, to bring its water into the middle of the city. Wealthy Romans had garden-parks or horti on the banks of the river in Rome through the first century BC. These may have been sold and developed about

3630-465: The same period and recording the names of Roman generals who had been honoured with a triumph . Cardinal Alessandro Farnese brought them to the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the nearby Capitoline Hill, where Ligorio and Michelangelo reconstructed them, based on the observations of Panvinio and Ligorio. Two additional fragments were discovered during excavations in the forum in 1817 and 1818. Others were discovered in excavations from 1872 to 1878, with

3696-412: The sole commander-in-chief of the army. His powers rested on law and legal precedent, and he could only receive these powers through the political process of an election. In practice, he had no real restrictions on his power. When war broke out, he had the sole power to organize and levy troops, to select leaders for the army, and to conduct the campaign as he saw fit. He controlled all property held by

3762-536: The state, had the sole power to divide land and war spoils, was the chief representative of the city during dealings with either the Gods or leaders of other communities, and could unilaterally decree any new law. Sometimes he submitted his decrees to either the popular assembly or to the senate for a ceremonial ratification, but a rejection did not prevent the enactment of a decree. The king chose several officers to assist him, and unilaterally granted them their powers. When

3828-415: The stone was sold to stonecutters to be reused in the construction, while some was sold to lime burners to be used for cement. The work was carried out by a company of local quarrymen, with little regard for the archaeological value of the ancient structures, but the scholars Onofrio Panvinio and Pirro Ligorio observed the demolition, and noticed a portion of the fasti still embedded between pilasters in

3894-522: The term of a dictator to six months, is not mentioned by any of the Roman historians, nor are the "dictator years" found in any source other than the Capitoline Fasti. The so-called "anarchy" earlier in the fourth century is less easily explained, since the story of this period is corroborated in multiple accounts, including Livy and Diodorus Siculus , but the length of time that Rome was without annual magistrates may have been exaggerated; perhaps only one year, as stated by Diodorus. The following tables give

3960-569: The wall of the Regia , originally the residence or official seat of the Roman kings , and later the official residence of the Pontifex Maximus , the chief priest of Rome, between 36 and 30 BC. The Annales Maximi , records of Roman history from the earliest period to the late second century BC, and one of the sources consulted by ancient historians, were stored in the Regia. Alternatively,

4026-433: The year, one Consul was superior in rank to the other Consul, and this ranking flipped every month, between the two Consuls. Praetors administered civil law, presided over the courts, and commanded provincial armies. Another magistrate, the Censor, conducted a census , during which time they could appoint people to the senate. Aediles were officers elected to conduct domestic affairs in Rome, and were vested with powers over

SECTION 60

#1732773224211

4092-403: Was not of the senatorial class, he could run for one of these offices if he was allowed to run by the emperor, or otherwise, he could be appointed to one of these offices by the emperor. During the transition from republic to empire, no office lost more power or prestige than the consulship, which was due, in part, to the fact that the substantive powers of republican Consuls were all transferred to

4158-546: Was prohibited for religious reasons ( nefasti ). These calendars frequently included lists of the annual magistrates. In many ancient cultures, the most common way to refer to individual years was by the names of the presiding magistrates. The annually-elected consuls were the eponymous magistrates at Rome, and so lists of the consuls going back many years were useful for dating historical events. Over time such lists also became known as fasti . The Capitoline Fasti are thought to have been engraved in one of two places: first,

4224-423: Was resolved. When the Dictator's term ended, constitutional government was restored. The last ordinary Dictator was appointed in 202 BC. After 202 BC, extreme emergencies were addressed through the passage of the decree senatus consultum ultimum ("ultimate decree of the senate"). This suspended civil government, declared martial law , and vested the consuls with Dictatorial powers. The executive magistrates of

4290-601: Was used to ship grain from the Val Teverina as long ago as the fifth century BC. It was later used to ship stone, timber, and foodstuffs to Rome. During the Punic Wars of the third century BC, the harbour at Ostia became a key naval base. It later became Rome's most important port, where wheat , olive oil , and wine were imported from Rome's colonies around the Mediterranean. Wharves were also built along

4356-410: Was vested with the tribunician powers, his office and his person became sacrosanct, and thus it became a capital offense to harm or to obstruct the emperor. The emperor also had the authority to carry out a range of duties that, under the republic, had been performed by the Roman censors. Such duties included the authority to regulate public morality ( Censorship ) and to conduct a census . As part of

#210789