JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY STUDIES

IN

HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

HERBERT B. ADAMS, Editor

History is past Politics and Politics presentHistory—Freeman

NINTH SERIES

VII-VIII

PUBLIC LANDS AND AGRARIAN LAWS

OF THE

ROMAN REPUBLIC

BY ANDREW STEPHENSON, PH.D.

Professor of History, Wesleyan University

BALTIMORE

THE JOHNS HOPKINS PRESS

JULY-AUGUST, 1891

Copyright, 1891, BY THE JOHNS HOPKINS PRESS.

PREFACE.

In the following pages it has been my object to trace thehistory of the domain lands of Rome from the earliest times to theestablishment of the Empire. The plan of the work has been tosketch the origin and growth of the idea of private property inland, the expansion of the ager publicus by the conquest ofneighboring territories, and its absorption by means of sale, bygift to the people, and by the establishment of colonies, untilwholly merged in private property. This necessarily involves ahistory of the agrarian laws, as land distributions were made andcolonies established only in accordance with laws previouslyenacted.

My reason for undertaking such a work as the present is found inthe fact that agrarian movements have borne more or less upon everypoint in Roman constitutional history, and a proper knowledge ofthe former is necessary to a just interpretation of the latter.

This whole question presents numerous obscurities before whichit has been necessary more than once to hesitate; it offers, bothin its entirety and in detail, difficulties which I have at leastearnestly endeavored to lessen. These obscurities and difficulties,arising in part from insufficiency of historical evidence and inpart from the conflicting statements of the old historians, havebeen recognized by all writers and call forth on my part no claimfor indulgence.

This monograph is intended as a chapter merely of a history ofthe public lands and agrarian laws of Rome, written for the purposeof a future comparison with the more recent agrarian movements inEngland and America.

ANDREW STEPHENSON.

MlDDLETOWN, CONN.
May 8, 1891.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Sec.   1.  LANDEDPROPERTY
Sec.   2.  QUIRITARIANOWNERSHIP
Sec.   3.  AGER PUBLICUS
Sec.   4.  ROMAN COLONIES

CHAPTER II.

Sec.   5.  LEXCASSIA
Sec.   6.  AGRARIAN MOVEMENTS BETWEEN486 AND 367
              (a) Extension of Territory by conquest up to theyear 367 B.C.
              (b) Colonies Founded between 454 and 367

Sec.   7.  LEX LICINIA
Sec.   8.  AGRARIAN MOVEMENTS BETWEEN367 AN 133
              (a) Extension of Territory by conquest between 367and 133
              (b) Colonies Founded between 367 and 133

Sec.   9.  LATIFUNDIA
Sec. ...