RE´GIO
RE´GIO The topographical description of Rome and
Italy does not belong to this work, and, for the definition in that sense of
the Roman and Italian regions, reference may be made to the
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, articles ROMA and ITALIA; also to
Middleton,
Rome, pp. 243-246, and Richter, in Baumeister's
Denkm. s. v.
Röm. It is only
necessary here to point out generally the different meanings and purposes of
regiones. The word
regio meant merely a
district, or
μοῖρα, of land, and signified
thus the
territorium round the Italian towns
and subject to the same jurisdiction: “regiones dicimus intra quas
singularum coloniarum et municipiorum magistratibus jus dicendi
coercendique est libera potestas” (Sic. Flacc. p. 135). The whole
regio so attached might comprise several pagi. [
PAGUS p. 309.]
At Rome we have, after the extension of the Palatine city, four regions which
dated from a period older even than the “Servian” city, since
the area is less than that contained by the Servian walls: its limits
correspond with the pomerium of republican times until the age of Sulla
[
POMERIUM p. 444], and
mark the settlement of the four city tribes. For the administration in early
times of these four regions, see QUINQUEVIRI, TRIBUNI
AERARII, and
TRIBUS In
religious observances we may recognise these ancient districts in the
sacraria of the
ARGEI (Vol. I. p.
179). The regions of Rome with which we are more often concerned in Latin
literature are those of Augustus, who did not enlarge the pomerium, but
divided the whole inhabited city within and without the walls into 14
regions, and each region into vici of a varying number according to its size
[
VICUS]. These regions were
each under the immediate control of a magistrate chosen by lot from the
praetors, aediles, and tribunes (
Suet. Aug.
30;
D. C. 55.8): one cohors vigilum was
assigned to each two regions [
EXERCITUS Vol. I. p. 794
b].
Distinct from these are the eleven regions into which Augustus divided Italy
(
Plin. Nat. 3.46), Rome forming in
this category the 12th region. These do not seem to have been administrative
units, but only intended for convenience of denomination. The “regio
Aemilia,” in
Mart. 3.4,
6.85, is one of them. The
regiones annonariae and
urbicariae
were a later division under Maximian, who in A.D. 286, residing himself at
Milan, made a
regio annonaria in the country
north of the Rubicon, which supplied his court, and
regiones urbicariae or
suburbicariae to
supply Rome. The disputed question as to the precise limits of these regions
is beyond our scope here: on that point see Marquardt,
Staatsverwalt. 1.231.
[
G.E.M]
