Colony (Rome)

See also: Colony

The Roman colonies were establishments created by the State Roman and intended for the control of a recently conquered territory, for the difference of the punic colonies , commercial counters, or Greek colonies, colonies of settlement. They mix in the same urban framework, religious and institutional the Roman citizens and the autochtones overcome, slaves, Affranchi S and Pérégrin S. Initially military garrisons at the 4th century before J.C, they become colonies of settlement offering of the grounds to the proletarians as from the 3rd century before J.C., and to the veterans demobilized starting from Sylla, which offers the grounds confiscated to them with proscribed.

Political statute of the colony

The colonies know two possible statutes:

  • the Roman colony ( colonia civium romanorum ), populated Roman citizens, is organized like Municipe of Roman law, left Rome in miniature, with its magistrates ( duumviri ) and its notable ( let us décurions ) equivalent of the Roman senate. Its free inhabitants of the following generations are automatically Roman citizens;
  • the Latin colony ( colonia juris latini ), founded by the Latin League until its dissolution in 338 av. J. - C., by Rome then, with a population mixing of the Roman citizens and the Latin citizens. She forms a Municipe of Latin right, her following generations inherit the Latin citizenship, even if they are of Roman origin, and thus have civic rights lower than those of the inhabitants of a Roman colony.

Development of the colonies

The establishment of the colonies follows the extension of the Roman domination: initially in Italy (Ostie oldest, founded in 350 av. J. - C.), then in Sicily, Sardinia, Hispanie and Africa. The colonies are either of the entirely new foundations or of the recastings on older cities.

The direct foundations of Latin colonies rarefied, with the granting of the Roman citizenship to all the Latin citizens of Italy. Conversely, creations of Roman colonies accelerate and extend at the beginning from the Roman Empire, under Jules César and Auguste, with the massive demobilization of the Roman legions: 80.000 citizens are installed by Jules César in the colonies; the 500.000 soldiers mobilized at the beginning of the reign of Auguste form a mass of veterans candidates to colonization.

The conquest of the Brittany and the organization of the Files on the the Rhine and the the Danube under the Flaviens and at the beginning of the Antonins are accompanied by the foundation of new colonies to the strategic sites.

These imperial colonies are named by the family name of the emperor ( Augusta , Claudia , Flavia , Ulpia ) often supplemented of a local name (geographical or ethnic), and with sometimes an honorary title ( Copia = rich, Emeritta = highly skilled - Mérida in Spain).

In parallel, the statute of Latin colony is granted to old indigenous cities, to see in all the cities of a province: Vespasien thus granted the Latin right to all the cities of Spain.

The success of the colonies

The Roman colonies were with the wire of time a powerful factor of romanisation, thanks to the colonists Italian or originating in well romanized provinces speaking the Latin . Their role of model of urban civilization and their economic activity facilitated the integration of the subjected populations. Colonies were also created in the Eastern territories, on existing cities, which in this case preserved their Greek civilization.

Over one period of several centuries, the Roman policy of foundation of colonies knew only exceptionally problems, which translates its overall success:

  • in 123 av. J. - C., project of the Gracques of foundation of a colony on the ruins of Carthage. Irreligious person because of the curse of 146 av. J. - C. marked on these ruins, the project cost the life its author, and was stopped by decree in 121 av. J. - C.. Jules César carried it out at the next century by melting the Colonia Julia Carthago , whose prosperity was large.
  • in 132, the project of Hadrian to raise the ruins of Jerusalem by a colony " " Colonia Aelia Capitolina" " a new revolt of the Jews caused.

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