Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

PRO VINCI A.

312

PROVINCIA.

from the Roman commander, whose acts re-
quired the approval of the senate ; or the
government was organised by the commander
and a body of commissioners appointed by
the senate out of their own number. The
mode of dealing with a conquered country
was not uniform. When constituted a pro-
vincia, it did not become to all purposes an
integral part of the Roman state ; it retained
its national existence, though it lost its so-
vereignty. The organisation of Sicily was
completed by P. Rupilius with the aid of ten
legates. The island was formed into two
districts, with Syracuse for the chief town of
the eastern and Lilybaeum of the western
district : the whole island was administered
by a governor annually sent from Rome.
He was assisted by two quaestors, and was
accompanied by a train of praccones, scribae,
haruspices, and other persons, who formed
his cohors. The quaestors received from the
Roman aerarium the necessary sums for the
administration of the island, and they also
collected the taxes, except those which were
farmed by the censors at Rome. One quaestor
resided at lilybaeum, and the other with the
governor or praetor at Syracuse. For the
administration of justice the island was di-
vided into Fora or Conventus, which were
territorial divisions. [Conventus.] The island
was bound to furnish and maintain soldiers
and sailors for the service of Rome, and to
pay tributum for the carrying on of wars.
The governor could take provisions for the
use of himself and his cohors on condition of
paying for them. The Roman state had also
the portoria which were let to farm to Ro-
mans at Rome. The governor had complete
jurisdictio in the island, with the imperiuin
and potestas. He could delegate these powers
to his quaestors, but there was always an
appeal to him, and for this and other pur-
poses he made circuits through the different
conventus.—Such was the organisation of
Sicilia as a province, which may be taken as
a sample of the general character of Roman
provincial government. The governor, upon
entering on his duties, published an edict,
which was often framed upon the Edictum
Urbanum. Cicero, when proconsul of Cilicia,
says that on some matters he framed an
edict of his own, and that as to others he
referred to the Edicta Urbana. There was
one great distinction between Italy and the
provinces as to the nature of property in
land. Provincial land could not be an object
of Quiritarian ownership, and it was accord-
ingly appropriately called Possessio. Pro-
vincial land could be transferred without the
forms required in the case of Italian land,
but it was subject to the payment of a land-

tax (vectigal).—The Roman provinces up to
the battle of Actium are : Sicilia, Sardinia
et Corsica; Hispania Citerior et Ulterior ;
Gallia Citerior; Gallia Narbonensis et Co-
mata; Illyrieum ; Macedonia ; Achaia;
Asia ; Cilicia ; Syria ; Rithynia et Pontus ;
Cyprus; Africa; Cyrenaica et Creta; Nu-
midia; Mauritania. Those of a subsequent
date, which were either new or arose from
division, are : Rhaetia ; Noricum ; Pannonia ;
Moesia ; Dacia ; Britannia ; Mauritania
Caesariensis and Tingitana ; Aegyptus ; Cap-
padocia ; Galatia ; Rhodus; Lycia; Com-
magene ; Judaea ; Arabia ; Mesopotamia ;
Armenia ; Assyria.-—At first praetors were
appointed as governors of provinces, but
afterwards they were appointed to the go-
vernment of provinces, upon the expiration
of their year of office at Rome, and with the
title of propraetores. In the later times of
the republic, the consuls also, after the ex-
piration of their year of office, received the
government of a province, with the title of
proconsules : such provinces were called con-
sulares. The provinces were generally dis-
tributed by lot, but the distribution was some-
times arranged by agreement among the per-
sons entitled to them. By a Sempronian Lex
the proconsular provinces were annually de-
termined before the election of the consuls,
the object of which was to prevent all dis-
putes. A senatusconsultum of the year 55 b.c.
provided that no consul or praetor should
have a province till after the expiration of
five years from the time of his consulship or
praetorship. A province was generally held
for a year, but the time was often prolonged.
When a new governor arrived in his pro-
vince, his predecessor was required to leave
it within thirty days. The governor of a
province had originally to account at Rome
(ad uvbem) for his administration, from his
own books and those of his quaestors; but
after the passing of a Lex Julia, e.c. 61, ho
was bound to deposit two copies of his ac-
counts (rationes) in the two chieit cities of his
province, and to forward one (totidem verbis)
to the aerarium. If the governor miscon-
ducted himself in the administration of the
province, the provincials applied to the Ro-
man senate, and to the powerful Romans
who were their patroni. The offences of
repetundae and peculatus were the usual
grounds of complaint by the provincials;
and if a governor had betrayed the interests
of the state, he was also liable to the penalties
attached to majestas. Quaestiones were es-
tablished for inquiries into these offences;
yet it was not always an easy matter to bring
a guilty governor to the punishment that he
deserved.—With the establishment of the