regio
regio
- Nicholas Purcell
Extract
Ancient term for the four major subdivisions of the extensive area covered by the republican city of Rome (Livy 1. 43; Varro, Ling. 5. 45), perhaps having some relationship to the four urban *tribus, and linked in Roman thought to the belief that Rome had been formed by the union of smaller village settlements in the regal period. *Augustus (probably in 7 bce) divided Rome into 14 regiones (as he divided *Italy into 11) as a basis for allotting some administrative competences, such as the fire-brigade (*vigiles). The building-blocks of the new regiones were the vici or local units of the city population (see vicus), and the supervision of each regio was assigned to various senatorial magistrates (Dio 55. 8), and eventually to specific curatores. The regional organization was imitated in coloniae and later at *Constantinople. See pomerium.
Subjects
- Ancient Geography