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A Roman (plural ) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It is also the origin of the modern term ''
colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
''.


Characteristics

Under the
Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kingd ...
, which had no
standing army A standing army is a permanent, often professional, army. It is composed of full-time soldiers who may be either career soldiers or conscripts. It differs from army reserves, who are enrolled for the long term, but activated only during wars o ...
, bodies of their own citizens were planted in conquered towns as a kind of garrison. There were two types: * Roman colonies, ''coloniae civium Romanorum'' or ''coloniae maritimae'', as they were often built near the sea, e.g.
Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...
(350 BC) and
Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Arimin ...
(268 BC). The colonists consisted of about three hundred Roman families and were given a small plot of land so were probably small business owners. * Latin colonies (''coloniae Latinae'') were considerably larger than Roman colonies. They were military strongholds near or in enemy territory. The colonists were given large estates up to 35 hectares. They lost their citizenship which they could regain if they returned to Rome. After 133 BC
tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...
s introduced reforms to support the urban poor to become farmers again in new colonies as agricultural settlements (e.g.
Tarentum Tarentum may refer to: * Taranto, Apulia, Italy, on the site of the ancient Roman city of Tarentum (formerly the Greek colony of Taras) **See also History of Taranto * Tarentum (Campus Martius), also Terentum, an area in or on the edge of the Cam ...
in 122 BC). Under
Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
and
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
thousands of
Roman legionary The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Repu ...
veterans were granted lands in many ''coloniae'' in the empire and were responsible for the
Romanization Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, an ...
of many territories (mainly in the spread of
Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of ...
and of Roman laws and customs).


History

According to
Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
, Rome's first colonies were established in about 752 BC at Antemnae and
Crustumerium Crustumerium (or Crustumium) was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber. In the legends concerning Rome's early history, the Crustumini were amongst the peoples whic ...
, both in
Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on ...
. Other early colonies were established at Signia in the 6th century BC,
Velitrae Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring co ...
and Norba in the 5th century BC, and
Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...
,
Antium Antium was an ancient coastal town in Latium, south of Rome. An oppidum was founded by people of Latial culture (11th century BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), then it was the main stronghold of the Volsci people until it was conque ...
, and Tarracina in the late 4th century. In this first period of colonization, which lasted down to the end of the
Punic Wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146BC fought between Rome and Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three ye ...
, colonies were primarily military in purpose, being intended to defend Roman territory. There were colonies of citizens and colonies of Latins, which differed in size, constitution, and region. Colonies of citizens were typically coastal and known as ''coloniae maritimae''. These were small (three hundred families), close to Rome, and enjoyed no civic life of their own. Sherwin-White suggested that they were similar to the
Athenian Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...
cleruchy. The Latin colonies (''coloniae juris latini''), on the other hand, were much larger and populated by Latins, as well as by Romans who, however, did not retain Roman citizenship. The first Latin colonies were initially founded by the
Latin league The Latin League (c. 7th century BC – 338 BC)Stearns, Peter N. (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of World History'', Houghton Mifflin. pp. 76–78. . was an ancient confederation of about 30 villages and tribes in the region of Latium near the ancient ...
. During the Late Republic, prominent figures such as the tribune
Gaius Gracchus Gaius Sempronius Gracchus ( – 121 BC) was a reformist Roman politician in the 2nd century BC. He is most famous for his tribunate for the years 123 and 122 BC, in which he proposed a wide set of laws, including laws to establish ...
proposed to settle Rome's landless citizens in colonies of recently conquered provinces. This concept, though popular and frequently reiterated by Roman contemporaries, failed to gain traction. Large scale settlement of landless Roman citizens in provinces would never really occur in the Roman Empire.


Under the Kingdom

*BC 752 at Antemnae and Crustumerium, both in Latium. *BC 745 (or 737) Fidenae became a Roman colony *BC 737 Cameria


Under the Republic

*BC 396
Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...
and Fidenae defeated. 4 new tribus
lection district A lection, also called the lesson, is a reading from scripture in liturgy. In many Christian denominations, the readings of the day are appointed in the lectionary. History The custom of reading the Pentateuch, books of Moses in the synagogue ...
organised (Stellatina, Tromentana, Sabatina, Arniensis) *BC 385 Satricum (lost and burned in BC 346) *BC 354–349
Tibur Tivoli ( , ; la, Tibur) is a town and in Lazio, central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinu ...
, Praeneste,
Caere : Caere (also Caisra and Cisra) is the Latin name given by the Romans to one of the larger cities of southern Etruria, the modern Cerveteri, approximately 50–60 kilometres north-northwest of Rome. To the Etruscans it was known as Cisra, t ...
(
Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on ...
) alliance agreement *BC 332 (or after): Sutrium, Nepete (Latium), *BC 338
Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...
colony and port New bilateral defence contracts with Falerii, Tarquinii (Etruria)
Caere : Caere (also Caisra and Cisra) is the Latin name given by the Romans to one of the larger cities of southern Etruria, the modern Cerveteri, approximately 50–60 kilometres north-northwest of Rome. To the Etruscans it was known as Cisra, t ...
(again), Pomptina and Poplilia tribus (tribes) formed in territories of Antium *BC 338
Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrusc ...
inhabitants got Roman civil rights *BC 335 Cales (Latium) *BC 332 (two new voting tribus established): Scaptia, Maecia *BC 329 Anxur (Latium) *BC 318 Falerna tribus established, Cales made contract with Rome again *BC 318 Canusium (Apulia) New Roman municipiums made from small towns around Rome: Aricia, Lanuvium, Nomentum, Pedum, Tusculum. Latin ius contracts made with
Tibur Tivoli ( , ; la, Tibur) is a town and in Lazio, central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna. History Gaius Julius Solinu ...
, Praeneste,
Lavinium Lavinium was a port city of Latium, to the south of Rome, midway between the Tiber river at Ostia and Antium. The coastline then, as now, was a long strip of beach. Lavinium was on a hill at the southernmost edge of the ''Silva Laurentina'', a ...
,
Cora Cora may refer to: Science * ''Cora'' (fungus), a genus of lichens * ''Cora'' (damselfly), a genus of damselflies * CorA metal ion transporter, a Mg2+ influx system People * Cora (name), a given name and surname * Cora E. (born 1968), German hi ...
(Latium) Ius comercii contracts made with Circei, Notba,
Setia Sezze (from the Latin "Setia") is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Latina, central Italy, about south of Rome and from the Mediterranean coast. The historical center of Sezze is located on a high hill commanding the Pontine plain. Th ...
, Signia, Nepi, Ardea, Gabii Ius migrationi and ius connubii Ufentina tribus established (on territories of Volscus city Antium), Privernum,
Velitrae Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring co ...
, Terracia,
Fondi Fondi ( la, Fundi; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and '' comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. As of 2017, the city had a population of 39,800. The city has experienced steady popu ...
and Fotmiae made contract with Rome (cives sine suffragio) *BC 303 Alba Fucens, Carsioli (Latium) *BC 313
Suessula Suessula (Greek language, Greek: ) was an ancient city of Campania, southern Italy, situated in the interior of the peninsula, near the frontier with Samnium, between Capua and Nola, and about 7 km northeast of Acerrae (Campania), Acerrae, Su ...
,
Saticula Saticula was a Caudini city near the frontier of Campania in southern Italy. In 343 BC, during the First Samnite War, the Roman consul Cornelius attacked it during the campaign against the Samnites in the Battle of Saticula. Its archaeologic ...
(Campania) *BC 315 Luceria (Apulia) *BC 303 Sora (Latium) *BC 299 Nequinum (Narnia/ Narni in Etruria and Umbria) was a keypoint fortress against the Samnis tribes *BC 296 Minturnae (Latium) *BC 291
Venusia Venosa ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gerva ...
(Apulia) colonia (20,000 male inhabitants) to control the Samnis tribes *BC 290 Pinceum besieged and occupied, soon became a Roman colony *BC 290(?) Hatri (Atria) by Adriatic sea (Abruzzo) *BC 269 Castrum Novum Picenii in BC 286), BC 264(?)
Picenum Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was ''Regio V'' in the Augustan territorial organization of Roman Italy. Picenum was also ...
colonies (Abruzzo) *BC 289 (or in BC 283) Sena Gallica (Umbria) *BC 273
Paestum Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whic ...
(Latium) *BC 273 Cosa (Etruria) *BC 268 Beneventum (Samnium) *BC 268 Ariminum (Aemilia) *BC 268 Brundisium (Apulia) *BC 264
Firmum Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest human ...
*BC 263 Aesernia (Samnium) *BC 247 Alsium (Etruria) *BC 245
Fregenae Fregenae ( el, ; it, Fregene), was a maritime town of ancient Etruria, situated between Alsium and the mouth of the Tiber. The modern Fregene is an Italian hamlet ('' frazione'') of Fiumicino, in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio. As of 20 ...
(Etruria) *BC 222
Mediolanum Mediolanum, the ancient city where Milan now stands, was originally an Insubrian city, but afterwards became an important Roman city in northern Italy. The city was settled by the Insubres around 600 BC, conquered by the Romans in 222 BC, an ...
(Transoadana) *BC 218 Placentia (Aemilia) *BC 218
Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' (Po Valley). It is the capital of the ...
(Venetia et Histria) *BC 197–192 Volturnum, Liternum, Puteoli, Salernum (Campania) Sipontum, Buxentum (Calabria) *BC 196 Brixia (Venetia et Histria) *BC 193 Copia (Lucania et Bruttii) *BC 192
Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; scn, label= Calabrian, Vibbu Valenzia or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Calabria region of southern Italy, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the c ...
(Lucania et Bruttii) *BC 189 Bononia (Aemilia) *BC 184 Pisaurum (Umbria), Potentia Romanorum (Lucania et Bruttii) *BC 183
Mutina Modena (, , ; egl, label= Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and '' comune'' ( municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. A town, and sea ...
,
Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
(Aemilia) *BC 181
Aquilea Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient history, ancient Roman Republic, Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic at the edge of th ...
(Venetia es Histria) Gravisca (Latium) *BC 180 Portus Pisanus (Etruria) *BC 177 Luna (Etruria) *BC 125 Pollentia, Vardacate (Liguria) *BC 123–118
Hasta Hasta may refer to: Latin *Hasta (spear) *Hasta Pompeia, a Roman town today known as Asti Sanskrit *Hasta (hand), a Sanskrit word meaning hand gesture or position *Hasta (unit), a measure of length *Hasta (nakshatra), the thirteenth nakshatra of ...
,
Dertona Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. History ...
(Liguria) *BC 100 Eporedia (Transpadana, today Piemonte region)


Under the Principate

Colonies were not founded on a large scale until the inception of the Principate.
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
, who needed to settle over a hundred thousand of his veterans after the end of his
civil wars A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...
, began a massive colony creation program throughout his empire. However, not all colonies were new cities. Many were created from already-occupied settlements and the process of colonization just expanded them. Some of these colonies would later grow into large cities (modern day Cologne was first founded as a Roman colony). During this time, provincial cities can gain the rank of colony, gaining certain rights and privileges. After the era of the Severan emperors the new "colonies" were only cities that were granted a status (often of tax exemption), and in most cases during the Late Imperial times there was no more settlement of retired legionaries.


Effects and legacy of colonization

Roman colonies sometimes served as a potential reserve of veterans which could be called upon during times of emergency. However, these colonies more importantly served to produce future Roman citizens and therefore recruits to the
Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...
. Roman colonies played a major role in the spread of the Latin language within the central and southern Italian peninsula during the early empire. The colonies showed surrounding native populations an example of Roman life.


Examples


See also

*
Local government (ancient Roman) The Romans used provincial and local governments to govern conquered territories without having to rule them directly. Although Rome ruled a vast empire, it needed strikingly few imperial officials to run it. This relatively light ruling adminis ...
* Duumviri * Roman colonies in antiquity *
List of ancient cities in Thrace and Dacia This is a list of ancient cities, towns, villages, and fortresses in and around Thrace and Dacia. A number of these settlements were Dacian and Thracian, but some were Celtic, Greek, Roman, Paeonian, or Persian. A number of cities in Dacia ...
*
List of ancient cities in Illyria This is a list of settlements in Illyria founded by Illyrians (southern Illyrians, Dardanians, Pannonians), Liburni, Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire. A number of cities in Illyria and later Illyricum were built on the sites or close to the s ...


References


Further reading

* Bradley, Guy, and John-Paul Wilson, eds. 2006. ''Greek and Roman Colonization: Origins, Ideologies and Interactions.'' Swansea, UK: Classical Press of Wales. * Broadhead, William. 2007. "Colonization, Land Distribution, and Veteran Settlement." In ''A Companion to the Roman Army.'' Edited by Paul Erdkamp, 148–163. Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World. Malden, MA: Blackwell. * Crawford, Michael H. 2014. "The Roman History of Roman Colonisation." In ''The Roman Historical Tradition: Regal and Republican Rome.'' Oxford Readings in Classical Studies. Edited by James H. Richardson and Federico Santangelo. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. * Curchin, Leonard A. 1991. ''Roman Spain: Conquest and Assimilation.'' London: Routledge. * Fuhrmann, Christopher J. 2012. ''Policing the Roman Empire: Soldiers, Administration, and Public Order.'' Oxford and New York: Oxford Univ. Press. * Salmon, Edward T. 1955. "Roman Expansion and Roman Colonization in Italy." ''Phoenix'' 9.2: 63–75. * Stek, Tesse D. and Gert-Jan Burgers eds. 2015. ''The Impact of Rome on Cult Places and Religious Practices in Ancient Italy.'' Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies Supplement 132. London: Institute of Classical Studies, University of London. * Sears, Gareth. 2011. ''The Cities of Roman Africa.'' Stroud, UK: History Press. * Termeer, Marleen K. 2010. "Early Colonies in Latium (ca 534–338 BC): A Reconsideration of Current Images and the Archaeological Evidence." ''Bulletin Antieke Beschaving'' 85:43–58. * Woolf, Greg. 1998. ''Becoming Roman: The Origins of Provincial Civilization in Gaul.'' Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.


External links


Jona Lendering, “Coloniae”, Livius.org (2006)L. Adkins and R.A. Adkins, “Coloniae”, in L. Adkins and R.A. Adkins, ''Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome'', New York, 1994.M. Bunson, “colonies, Roman”, in M. Bunson, ''Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire'', New York, 1994.
{{Colonies of Ancient Rome
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
Ancient Roman geography Veterans' settlement schemes