1 The comitia centuriata had once been practically identical with the army, and since the holding of the imperium (cf. the note on iii. 2) was forbidden within the pomerium, or religious limits of the city, this assembly met outside those limits, in the plain formed by the swing of the Tiber river to the right.
2 The comitia voted, but did not debate. If there was to be discussion —in any case only those spoke who were invited to do so by the presiding officer —it took place in an informal contio held prior to the meeting of the formal comitia. The membership and place of meeting of a contio were identical with those of the comitia which it preceded.
3 B.C. 200
4 These Italian mercenaries in Sicily appealed for aid to Rome against Syracuse and her Carthaginian supporters. The First Punic War was the result of Rome's decision to assist them (Per. XVI; Polyb. I. vii. ff.).
5 Cf. the notes on i. 6 and iii. 6 above.
6 Epirus, in north-western Greece and adjacent to Macedonia, was the home of Pyrrhus.
7 B.C. 200
8 The ancient city of Argos is less important, to Sulpicius, for the traditions that gathered around it than for the reason that Pyrrhus met his death in a street-fight there about 272 B.C.
9 For rhetorical effect Sulpicius magnifies somewhat the importance of Pyrrhus's early victories and neglects to mention the final Roman victory. Pyrrhus did defeat the Romans in several battles and did win the support of the Greek south of Italy.
10 B.C. 200
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