ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

in the late fourth century BCE; thus, colonization before this was likely similar to that inthe regal period, where men who conquered a land gained the right to redistribute andsettle it. 14Nor were all movements of population even 'colonization' in the strictestsense: alternatives included private military operations, movement of family groups,secession of part of a city's population, or even the ver sacrum.While Salmon emphasizes the military nature of Roman colonization, Bradleyasserts instead that fifth and fourth century colonization was linked to the Struggle of theOrders, and as such colonization meant very different things to different sectors of theRoman population. 16J.R. Patterson cites a developing set of reasons for colonization,from their military function through poverty relief through a redistribution of territory, inaddition to more political pressures from the Struggle of the Orders and the spread ofRoman citizenship. 17The local or non-Roman elements among the colonists probablyadded an additional set of meanings to their particular foundations: some colonies such asBrundisium or Puteoli counted time from the foundation of the colony whereas atInteramna Nahars, the foundation of the colony was just one event in the long life of thecity. 18In any case, colonization in the early Republic seems to have had an integrative14 Ibid. pp. 168-169.13 Ibid. p. 169. Bradley observes that "ideas of such practices may stem from the regular fission of pre-statesocial groups." Cf. Patterson (2006), p. 195, who also notes that fifth century colonization probablyinvolved "small-scale occupations of territory by individual families and their supporters rather than coordinatedand centralized operations undertaken by the Roman state."16 Bradley (2006), pp. 169-171. Bradley concludes (p. 179): "I would suggest that demographic pressureon land, and social conflicts within Rome meant that colonization had a combination of motives from thestart of the Republic." Cf. Curti (2000), pp. 78-79. In Curti's view, the city/countryside dialectic was lostas Rome became more urbanized in the early Republic. The colonies recreated this relationship with thecolonists as the new land owners.17 Patterson (2006), pp. 194-198. Patterson argues that, even though Livy and Cicero use first centurypolitical discourse in describing colonization, land and debt were also strong issues in the early Republic.18 Bradley (2006), pp. 177-178.6