The Feriae Latinae or Latin Festival was an ancient Roman religious festival held in April on the Alban Mount . The date varied, and was determined and announced by the consuls each year when they took office. It was one of the most ancient festivals celebrated by the Roman state and is supposed to have predated the founding of Rome — in historical terms, to have dated to a pre-urban pastoral age. It continued to be held into the 3rd century AD, and perhaps later.
18-464: The rite was a reaffirmation of the alliance among members of the Latin League , and a truce was honored throughout the festival. Each Latin city sent a representative and offerings such as sheep, cheese, or other pastoral products. The presiding Roman consul offered a libation of milk, and conducted the sacrifice of a pure white heifer that had never been yoked. The flesh was consumed as part of
36-404: A communal meal as a sacrament . As part of the festivities, the figurines called oscilla were hung from trees. The consuls were required to attend, leaving a praefectus urbi in charge of the city. If the consuls had to be absent (if, for instance, they were waging war), a dictator was appointed to oversee the festival. Consuls were not supposed to depart for their provinces until after
54-509: A distinct state under the jurisdiction of Rome. It was necessary to distinguish various types of municipia and other settlements, such as the colony . In the early Roman Empire these distinctions began to disappear; for example, when Pliny the Elder served in the Roman army, the distinctions were only nominal. In the final stage of development, all citizens of all cities and towns throughout
72-584: Is not known, whether the populace was given a choice or the synoecised sites were reoccupied. As it is unlikely that all the Sabines were invited to Rome, where facilities to feed and house them did not yet exist, it seems clear that population transfer was only offered to some. The rest continued on as independent localities under the ultimate governance of Rome. Under the Roman Republic the impracticality of transferring numerous large city-states to Rome
90-555: Is one coined by modern historians with no precise Latin equivalent. The Latin League was originally created for protection against enemies from surrounding areas (the Etruscans ) under the leadership of the city of Alba Longa . An incomplete fragment of an inscription recorded by Cato the Elder claims that at one time the league included Tusculum , Aricia , Lanuvium , Lavinium , Cora , Tibur , Pometia and Ardea . During
108-543: The municipium was self-governance . Like any ancient city-state, the municipium was created by an official act of synoecism , or founding. This act removed the sovereignty and independence from the signatory local communities, replacing them with the jurisdiction of a common government. This government was then called the res publica ('public affair'), or in the Greek world the koinon ('common affair'). The term municipium began to be used with reference to
126-748: The Aequi and the Volsci , tribes of the Apennine Mountains , who were prevented from invading Latium by the blending of armies. It is still unclear if the Latins had accepted Rome as a member of the League, or if the treaty had been signed as between Rome and the Latin League. During the Roman Kingdom and the early-to-mid Roman Republic there were numerous disputes between Rome and
144-483: The Latin term municipium ( pl. : municipia ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the municipium was a social contract among municipes ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties ( munera ) were a communal obligation assumed by the municipes in exchange for the privileges and protections of citizenship. Every citizen was a municeps . The distinction of municipia
162-641: The Latin League in 493 BC. According to Roman tradition, the treaty, the Foedus Cassianum , followed a Roman victory over the league in the Battle of Lake Regillus . It provided that both Rome and the Latin League would share loot from military conquests (which would later be one of the reasons for the Latin War 341–338 BC) and that any military campaigns between the two would be led by Roman generals. The alliance helped repel attacks from such peoples as
180-480: The Latins, which led to a number of wars between Rome and individual Latin cities and occasionally with the entire league. The increasing power of Rome gradually led to its domination of the league. The renewal of the original treaty in 358 BC formally established Roman leadership and eventually triggered the outbreak of the Latin War (343–338 BC). Following the Roman victory, the league was dissolved. After 338 BC,
198-469: The city-states of Italy brought into the city-state of Rome but not incorporated into the city. The city of Romulus synoecised the nearby settlements of Latium , transferring their populations to the seven hills, where they resided in typically distinct neighbourhoods. And yet, Sabines continued to live in the Sabine Hills and Alba Longa continued even though synoecised. The exact sequence of events
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#1732773389671216-410: The empire were equally citizens of Rome. The municipium then simply meant municipality, the lowest level of local government . The munera and the citizenship and its rights and protections were specific to the community. No matter where a person lived, at home or abroad, or what his status or class, he was a citizen of the locality in which he was born. The distinguishing characteristic of
234-589: The end of the Latin league, Rome renamed the cities municipia and established coloniae inside them. This meant that the towns were now ruled by Rome (or the Roman Republic) and that the people living there were considered Roman colonists. Alba Longa (founder – destroyed in the mid-7th century BC), Ardea , Aricia , Cameria (destroyed in 502 BC), Cora , Lanuvium , Lavinium , Pometia , Tibur , and Tusculum . Municipia In ancient Rome ,
252-601: The festival. This article related to a festival in Europe is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Ancient Rome –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Latin League The Latin League ( c. 8th century – 338 BC) was an ancient confederation of about 30 villages and tribes in the region of Latium near the ancient city of Rome , organized for mutual defense. The term "Latin League"
270-489: The first order held full Roman citizenship and their rights ( civitas optimo iure ) included the right to vote , which was the ultimate right in Rome, and a sure sign of full rights. The second order of municipia comprised important tribal centres which had come under Roman control. Residents of these did not become full Roman citizens (although their magistrates could become so after retirement). They were given
288-402: The reign of Tarquinius Superbus , the Latins were persuaded to acknowledge the leadership of Rome. The treaty with Rome was renewed, and it was agreed that the troops of the Latins would attend on an appointed day to form a united military force with the troops of Rome. That was done, and Tarquin formed combined units of Roman and Latin troops. The early Roman Republic formed an alliance with
306-449: Was manifest. The answer to the problem was the municipium . The town would be partially synoecised. The local government would remain but to its munera would be added munera due to the city of Rome. The partial synoecism took the form of a charter granting incorporation into the city of Rome and defining the rights and responsibilities of the citizens. The first municipium was Tusculum . The citizens of municipia of
324-476: Was not made in the Roman Kingdom ; instead, the immediate neighbours of the city were invited or compelled to transfer their populations to the urban structure of Rome, where they took up residence in neighbourhoods and became Romans per se . Under the Roman Republic the practical considerations of incorporating communities into the city-state of Rome forced the Romans to devise the concept of municipium ,
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