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Livy · History of Rome §34.53.1-34.53.7

Founding of Latin Colonies and Dedication of Temples

Passage 1220 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Based on a senatorial decree, the establishment of two Latin colonies in Bruttium and Thurii is approved, and the triumvirs for this task are elected. Additionally, several temples vowed during previous wars are successfully dedicated in this year.

§34.53.1exitu anni huius Q. Aelius Tubero tribunus plebis ex senatus consulto tulit ad plebem, plebesque scivit, uti duae Latinae coloniae una in Bruttios, altera in Thurinum agrum deducerentur.
At the close of this year, Quintus Aelius Tubero, tribune of the plebs, acting on a decree of the senate, proposed to the plebs, and the plebs resolved, that two Latin colonies should be founded, one in the territory of the Bruttii, the other in the district of Thurii.
§34.53.2his deducendis triumviri creati, quibus in triennium imperium esset, in Bruttios Q. Naevius, M. Minucius Rufus, M. Furius Crassipes, in Thurinum agrum A. Manlius, Q. Aelius, L. Apustius.
For the founding of these, triumvirs were elected, who were to hold authority for three years: for the Bruttii, Quintus Naevius, Marcus Minucius Rufus, and Marcus Furius Crassipes; for the district of Thurii, Aulus Manlius, Quintus Aelius, and Lucius Apustius.
ea bina comitia Cn. Domitius praetor urbanus in Capitolio habuit.
These two elections were held on the Capitol by Gnaeus Domitius, the urban praetor.
§34.53.3aedes eo anno aliquot dedicatae sunt: una Iunonis Matutae in foro olitorio, vota locataque quadriennio ante a C. Cornelio consule Gallico bello; censor idem dedicavit; §34.53.4altera Fauni; aediles eam biennio ante ex multaticio argento faciendam locarant C. Scribonius et Cn. Domitius, qui praetor urbanus eam dedicavit.
In that year several temples were dedicated: one to Juno Matuta in the Forum Olitorium, which had been vowed and contracted for four years before by the consul Gaius Cornelius during the Gallic war; the same man dedicated it as censor; another to Faunus; the aediles Gaius Scribonius and Gnaeus Domitius had contracted for its construction two years before from the money of fines, and Domitius dedicated it as urban praetor.
§34.53.5et aedem Fortunae Primigeniae in colle Quirinali dedicavit Q. Marcius Ralla, duumvir ad id ipsum creatus; §34.53.6voverat eam decem annis ante Punico bello P. Sempronius Sophus consul, locaverat idem censor.
Also, Quintus Marcius Ralla, elected as a duumvir for this very purpose, dedicated the temple of Fortuna Primigenia on the Quirinal Hill; the consul Publius Sempronius Sophus had vowed it ten years before during the Punic war, and the same man as censor had contracted for its construction.
§34.53.7et in insula Iovis aedem C. Servilius duumvir dedicavit; vota erat sex annis ante Gallico bello ab L. Furio Purpurione praetore, ab eodem postea consule locata.
And on the island, Gaius Servilius, as duumvir, dedicated a temple to Jupiter; it had been vowed six years before during the Gallic war by the praetor Lucius Furius Purpurio, and later contracted for by the same man as consul.
haec eo anno acta.
These were the transactions of that year.

Notes

  1. §34.53.2his deducendis — Construed either as a dative of purpose (or work contemplated) with the gerundive, or as an ablative absolute/ablative of means. Here, it functions to denote the purpose or duty of the newly elected *triumviri*.
  2. §34.53.2quibus in triennium imperium esset — The imperfect subjunctive `esset` in a relative clause. This subjunctive is used to express the provision, purpose, or characteristic under which the *triumviri* were elected (i.e., that they were to hold power for three years).
  3. §34.53.4faciendam locarant — The verb `loco` (to contract out) combined with the accusative gerundive `faciendam` forms a standard classical Roman idiom for contracting public works ('they contracted for its construction'). `locarant` is a syncopated form of `locaverant`.
  4. §34.53.7vota erat... locata — The auxiliary verb `erat` in the phrase `vota erat` (had been vowed) also governs the subsequent participle `locata` (had been contracted for) in parallel, completing the pluperfect passive construction (`locata erat`).

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §34.53.1-34.53.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:34.53.1-34.53.7

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