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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §4.14.1-4.14.4

Division into Four Tribes and Institution of the Compitalia

Passage 258 of 962 · Greek

Summary

King Tullius divided the city into four administrative regions and established local tribes for taxation and military levies. He also ordered the construction of shrines for the guardian heroes of the streets, establishing the festival of Compitalia in which slaves participated.

§4.14.1ὁ δὲ Τύλλιος, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς ἑπτὰ λόφους ἑνὶ τείχει περιέλαβεν, εἰς τέτταρας μοίρας διελὼν τὴν πόλιν καὶ θέμενος ἐπὶ τῶν λόφων ταῖς μοίραις τὰς ἐπικλήσεις, τῇ μὲν Παλατίνην, τῇ δὲ Σουβουράνην, τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ Κολλίνην, τῇ δὲ τετάρτῃ τῶν μοιρῶν Ἰσκυλίνην, τετράφυλον ἐποίησε τὴν πόλιν εἶναι, τρίφυλον οὖσαν τέως·
Tullius, after he had enclosed the seven hills with a single wall, divided the city into four regions, and naming these regions after the hills, namely, Palatina to the first, Suburana to the second, Collina to the third, and Esquilina to the fourth of these regions, made the city to consist of four tribes, whereas it had previously consisted of three.
§4.14.2καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔταξε τοὺς ἐν ἑκάστῃ μοίρᾳ τῶν τεττάρων οἰκοῦντας, ὥσπερ κωμήτας, μήτε μεταλαμβάνειν ἑτέραν οἴκησιν μήτʼ ἄλλοθι που συντελεῖν, τάς τε καταγραφὰς τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ τὰς εἰσπράξεις τῶν χρημάτων τὰς γινομένας εἰς τὰ στρατιωτικὰ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας χρείας, ἃς ἕκαστον ἔδει τῷ κοινῷ παρέχειν, οὐκέτι κατὰ τὰς τρεῖς φυλὰς τὰς γενικὰς ὡς πρότερον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὰς τέτταρας τὰς τοπικὰς τὰς ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ διαταχθείσας ἐποιεῖτο, ἡγεμόνας ἐφʼ ἑκάστης ἀποδείξας συμμορίας, ὥσπερ φυλάρχους ἢ κωμάρχας, οἷς προσέταξεν εἰδέναι, ποίαν οἰκίαν ἕκαστος οἰκεῖ.
And he ordered the people who lived in each of the four regions, like villagers, neither to change their residence nor to pay their taxes elsewhere; and he conducted the levies of soldiers and the collections of money made for military and other needs which each was required to contribute to the commonwealth, no longer according to the three gentilic tribes as before, but according to the four local tribes established by himself, having appointed commanders over each division, like tribe-leaders or village-chiefs, whom he commanded to know what house each person lived in.
§4.14.3ἔπειτα κατὰ πάντας ἐκέλευσε τοὺς στενωποὺς ἐγκατασκευασθῆναι καλιάδας ὑπὸ τῶν γειτόνων ἥρωσι προνωπίοις καὶ θυσίας αὐτοῖς ἐνομοθέτησεν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι καθʼ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν πελάνους εἰσφερούσης ἑκάστης οἰκίας·
Then he ordered small shrines to be built by the neighbors in all the streets for the heroes of the gateways, and enacted that sacrifices should be performed to them every year, each house contributing a sacrificial cake.
τοῖς δὲ τὰ περὶ τῶν γεινόνων ἱερὰ συντελοῦσιν ἐν τοῖς προνωπίοις οὐ τοὺς ἐλευθέρους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς δούλους ἔταξε παρεῖναί τε καὶ συνιερουργεῖν, ὡς κεχαρισμένης τοῖς ἥρωσι τῆς τῶν θεραπόντων ὑπηρεσίας·
And for those who performed the sacred rites for the neighbors at the gateways, he ordered that not freemen, but slaves, should attend and assist in the sacred services, as the service of servants was pleasing to the heroes.
§4.14.4ἣν ἔτι καὶ καθʼ ἡμᾶς ἑορτὴν ἄγοντες Ῥωμαῖοι διετέλουν ὀλίγαις ὕστερον ἡμέραις τῶν Κρονίων, σεμνὴν ἐν τοῖς πάνυ καὶ πολυτελῆ, Κομπιτάλια προσαγορεύοντες αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῶν στενωπῶν· κομπίτους γὰρ τοὺς στενωποὺς καλοῦσι·
This festival the Romans have continued to celebrate even to our day, a few days after the Saturnalia, as one of the most solemn and expensive, calling it Compitalia, after the streets; for they call streets 'compiti'.
καὶ φυλάττουσι τὸν ἀρχαῖον ἐθισμὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ἱερῶν, διὰ τῶν θεραπόντων τοὺς ἥρωας ἱλασκόμενοι καὶ ἅπαν τὸ δοῦλον ἀφαιροῦντες αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις, ἵνα τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ταύτῃ τιθασσευόμενοι μέγα τι καὶ σεμνὸν ἐχούσῃ χαριέστεροι γίνωνται περὶ τοὺς δεσπότας καὶ τὰ λυπηρὰ τῆς τύχης ἧττον βαρύνωνται.
And they guard the ancient custom in the sacrifices, propitiating the heroes through their servants, and removing from them all signs of slavery during those days, so that, being softened by this humanity which has something great and solemn about it, they may become more well-disposed toward their masters and feel less burdened by the bitterness of their lot.

Notes

  1. 671θέμενος ἐπὶ τῶν λόφων ταῖς μοίραις τὰς ἐπικλήσεις — Syntax of the participle `θέμενος` (middle aorist). It takes the prepositional phrase `ἐπὶ τῶν λόφων` ('based on the hills, after the hills') and the dative `ταῖς μοίραις` ('to the regions'). In the following clauses like `τῇ μὲν Παλατίνην`, the datives (e.g., `τῇ μὲν`) and the accusatives (e.g., `Παλατίνην`) are juxtaposed, implying the ellipsis of `ἐπίκλησιν` ('name') or the verb's action.
  2. 671τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔταξε ... μήτε μεταλαμβάνειν — The verb `τάσσω` (here `ἔταξε`) is used in the sense of 'to command, ordain', taking an accusative (`τοὺς ἀνθρώπους`) and infinitives (`μήτε μεταλαμβάνειν...`) to form a construction meaning 'he ordered the people not to...'.
  3. 672ὡς κεχαρισμένης τοῖς ἥρωσι τῆς τῶν θεραπόντων ὑπηρεσίας — A combination of the conjunction `ὡς` (introducing a subjective reason) and a genitive absolute construction (`κεχαρισμένης... τῆς... ὑπηρεσίας`, 'since the service of the servants was pleasing to...'). It indicates the subjective belief or intention of the agent (the king) or the people of that time, rather than an objective fact.
  4. p.v.2p.28ἵνα τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ταύτῃ ... τιθασσευόμενοι ... χαριέστεροι γίνωνται — A purpose clause introduced by `ἵνα`, within which the passive participle `τιθασσευόμενοι` (agreeing with the subject, the slaves) is embedded, leading to the subjunctives `γίνωνται` and `βαρύνωνται`. `φιλανθρωπίᾳ` is a dative of means qualifying the participle `τιθασσευόμενοι`.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §4.14.1-4.14.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.14.1-4.14.4

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