ProQuest Dissertations - Historia Antigua

unknown Quintus led out a citizen colony to Tempsa. 40It has been plausibly suggestedthat all of these colonies were founded along the coast in order to protect the Italianmainland against Antiochus the Great's fleet or at least warn Rome should Italy beinvaded. 41Perhaps because of the great number of colonies founded in this year, orperhaps because some of the sites were less than desirable, 4colonists were difficult tofind for these colonies. 43In 186, after traveling Italy in his inquiries into the Bacchanalia,the consul Sp. Postumius observed to the senate that the colonies of Sipontum andBuxentum were empty. 44The praetor T. Manlius was tasked with appointingcommissioners to enroll supplementary colonists: namely, L. Scribonius Libo, M.Tuccius, and Cn. Baebius Tamphilus. 45In the year when the eight citizen colonies were led out of Rome, the legescoloniae for two Latin colonies were instituted: Vibo Valentia and Copia in Bruttium andThurii, respectively. The tribune of the plebs Q. Aelius Tubero, following a directivefrom the senate, ordered Cn. Domitius, urban praetor, to preside over the election ofcommissioners for these two colonies. 46In 193, L. Apustius Fullo, Aulus Manlius Vulso,and the same Q. Aelius Tubero established Copia. 47 The following year (192), M.Minucius Rufus, Q. Naevius Matho, and M. Furius Crassipes founded near-by Vibo40 Ibid.; Strabo 5.4.13 p. 251 and 6.1.5 p. 256. There is a corruption in the text ofLivy which renders thefinal name illegible. It is also unclear why one commission was sufficient to settle colonists in five coloniesalong the eastern coast, but two commissions were necessary to found relatively neighboring colonies in thesouth.41 Salmon (1970), p. 98. See also below in the discussion of the commissioners' motivations.42 Liternum, for example, was a marsh (Val. Max. 5.3.2). Cf. Salmon (1970), p. 99 and n. 166 p. 185.43 Salmon (1970), pp. 98-99.44 Livy 39.23.3f., and Cic. Leg. agr. 2.71. Cf. Salmon (1970), p. 99.45 Livy 39.23.3-4.46 Livy 34.53.1-2.47 Livy 35.9.7-8.63