Servius Tullius
Tarquinius Priscu's successor was Servius Tullius, who reigned between 578 and 534 BC.
His name is associated with two facts: the Servian constitution and the temple of Diana on the Aventine.
However, it does not seem that the so-called Servian walls can be attributed to him, at least in the state in which they are preserved.
The distinctive character of his reign was the attempt to merge natives and Etruscans.
Servius was the son of Ocrisia, a native of the Latin city of Cornicolo, probably Monte dell'Incastro, just east of Rome.
It is said that Ocrisia became pregnant by a god, a fact not unknown to mythology and used when people without a family tree were wanted to be exalted.
Her mother was captured when Tarquinius Priscus conquered the city of Corniculum.
The name Ocrisia derives from an ancient Italian root ocri which means mountain.
Servius was educated in Rome in the royal palace. He married a daughter of Tarquinius.
In 579 Tarquinius was killed by people linked to the environment of the sons of Ancus Marcius, fourth king of Rome.
Tanaquilla first hid the death of Tarquinius from the people, and then managed to have Servius appointed king of Rome.
Mastarna for the Etruscans, Servius Tullius for the Romans
The emperor Claudius, author of a history of Etruria, speaking in the senate in favor of granting Roman citizenship to the inhabitants of Gaul Comata, to underline the Roman tradition of openness to welcoming foreigners, told a different story.
According to Claudio, Servius Tullius, with the name of Mastarna, would have had an important role in the history of Vulci, an Etruscan city. Friend of Caelius and Aulus Vibenna, lords of Vulci, he would have fought alongside them without luck. With the remnants of the army he would have placed himself in the service of Tarquinius, who as a reward would have allowed him to live with his companions on the hill which he gave the name of Celio, in honor of his leader.
This version could hide a more serious fact: an army coming from Vulci would have occupied Rome and driven out the Tarquins, who would have returned upon the death of Servius Tullius, commander of the invading army.
Mastarna is an Etruscan Latin name, it derives from magister and would mean something similar to "the leader".
The term servus, not of Indo-European origin and perhaps Etruscan, meant foreigner without rights, stateless.
In essence, the sixth king of Rome would have been known by an Etruscan name in Rome and a Latin one in Etruria.
The Temple of Diana on the Aventine
The construction on the Aventine of the temple dedicated to Diana, the Greek Artemis, was an act of international politics.
The temple of Artemis in Ephesus was considered the symbol of the federation of the cities of Ionia in Asia Minor. The cult of Diana and the idea of federation must have been very alive in the western Mediterranean after the re-foundation of the Greek colony of Marseille in 540 BC. The statue of Diana was placed in the Roman temple exactly like Artemis in the temple of Marseille.
The temple on the Aventine, built around 540 BC, aimed to politically and religiously reunite Rome, Lazio and southern Etruria, similar to the Etruscan federal system of the Twelve Peoples.
The temple was built outside the city, on a sparsely inhabited hill. Only in the year 465 did the Aventine become a residential area with a law ascribed to the plebeian tribune L. Icilio. The external location was probably chosen to attract the greatest number of people, poor, immigrants, slaves, etc.
The foundation of the temple was celebrated on August 13th.
The temples of Mater Matuta, the goddess Fortuna and Fors Fortuna
Servius Tullius built the twin temples of Mater Matuta and the goddess Fortuna in the Forum Boarium, the market on the banks of the Tiber.
Mater Matuta is an Italic deity, with main temple in Satrico, a city south of Rome.
The goddess of Fortune, a traditional Latin deity, was symbolized by a veiled statue, like those of the Etruscan gods of Fate.
The foundation of the twin temples was celebrated on June 11th.
The temple of Fors Fortuna was built on the other bank of the Tiber, outside the city walls and slaves could participate in the celebrations.
Citizens of Rome
Servius Tullius divided the Roman population on the basis of territory, regardless of ethnic or birth criteria. Citizenship came to depend on place of residence. In this way many Etruscan immigrants, merchants, farmers or those of other origins were able to become Roman citizens, loyal to Rome before their family or ethnic group.
4 urban tribes were defined:
- Suburana (the Celian)
- Palatina
- Esquilina
- Collina
The number of extra-urban tribes, initially 16, later rose to 31.
Belonging to a territorial district (tribus), based on domicile, allowed the development of a cadastre to evaluate land assets and assign citizens to a class and establish the relative tributum.
Classes and centuries
The Roman people were divided into five classes of citizens/soldiers based on census.
Each class provided the army with a certain number of centuries, groups of one hundred men. In the first class, the richest, 18 centuries of knights and 80 of infantry were recruited, in the second, third and fourth 20 centuries and in the fifth 30.
A system of taxation proportional to income
Citizens with a very low income (the capita census) were exempted from military service and related expenses.
The centuries within each class were distinguished into those made up of seniores, the reserve of citizens over 46 years of age, and those made up of iuniores, the actual fighters. The centuries of juniors and seniors were even in number.
Armament of the classes
The first class was armed with helmet, round shield, cuirass and greaves, spear, javelin and sword.
The second class was armed like the first, but without armour. She carried a smaller, elongated shield.
The third class had helmets and offensive weapons.
The fourth class had spear and javelin.
The fifth grade had slingshots.
Political rights and duties
Political rights were proportional to the services citizens provided to the army.
Each century, as a combat unit, was a voting unit. The capita censuses formed a single century.
Two centuries were reserved for geniuses (carpenters and blacksmiths) and voted with the first class.
Two centuries were reserved for musicians and voted with the fourth class.
In total there were 193 centuries, with an absolute majority of the first class (80+18).
The system eliminated the privileges of birth or ethnicity, and at the same time avoided the inconveniences of the tyranny of numbers.
The Comitia Centuriati constituted the assembly of the soldiers and met outside the sacred borders of the city. This assembly became the dominant entity after the fall of the monarchy, both legislatively and electorally.
