# Municipium

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Municipium
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Municipium.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipium
> Source revision: 1331142615
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Ancient Roman term for a town or city}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2022}}
{{Italics title}}
In [ancient Rome](/source/ancient_Rome), the [Latin](/source/Latin) term '''{{lang|la|municipium}}''' ({{plural form}}: {{lang|la|municipia}}) referred to a town or city.<ref name="Garnsey1987">{{cite book|author=Peter Garnsey|title=The Roman Empire: Economy, Society, and Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jzDB6-Q91lkC&pg=PA27|year=1987|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06067-8|pages=27–}}</ref> Etymologically, the {{lang|la|municipium}} was a [social contract](/source/social_contract) among {{lang|la|municipes}} ('duty holders'), or [citizens](/source/Roman_citizenship) of the town. The duties ({{lang|la|[munera](/source/Munera_(ancient_Rome))}}) were a communal obligation assumed by the {{lang|la|municipes}} in exchange for the privileges and protections of citizenship. Every citizen was a {{lang|la|municeps}}.<ref>[Frank Frost Abbott](/source/Frank_Frost_Abbott), ''[Municipal Administration in the Roman Empire](/source/iarchive%3Amunicipaladminis032553mbp%2Fpage%2F8%2Fmode%2F2up) (1926)'', Read Books, 2007, p.8</ref>

The distinction of {{lang|la|municipia}} was not made in the [Roman Kingdom](/source/Roman_Kingdom); instead, the immediate neighbours of the city were invited or compelled to transfer their populations to the urban structure of Rome, where they took up residence in neighbourhoods and became Romans {{lang|la|per se}}. Under the [Roman Republic](/source/Roman_Republic) the practical considerations of incorporating communities into the [city-state](/source/city-state) of Rome forced the Romans to devise the concept of {{lang|la|municipium}}, a distinct state under the jurisdiction of Rome. It was necessary to distinguish various types of {{lang|la|municipia}} and other settlements, such as the [colony](/source/Colonia_(Roman)). In the early [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire) these distinctions began to disappear; for example, when [Pliny the Elder](/source/Pliny_the_Elder) served in the Roman army, the distinctions were only nominal. In the final stage of development, all citizens of all cities and towns throughout the empire were equally citizens of Rome. The {{lang|la|municipium}} then simply meant municipality, the lowest level of [local government](/source/Local_government_(ancient_Roman)).

==Creation of a {{lang|la|municipium}}==
The {{lang|la|[munera](/source/Munera_(ancient_Rome))}} and the citizenship and its rights and protections were specific to the community. No matter where a person lived, at home or abroad, or what his status or class, he was a citizen of the locality in which he was born. The distinguishing [characteristic](/source/%3Awikt%3Acharacteristic) of the {{lang|la|municipium}} was [self-governance](/source/Governance). Like any ancient city-state, the {{lang|la|municipium}} was created by an official act of [synoecism](/source/synoecism), or founding. This act removed the sovereignty and independence from the signatory local communities, replacing them with the jurisdiction of a common government. This government was then called the {{lang|la|res publica}} ('public affair'), or in the Greek world the {{lang|grc|koinon}} ('common affair').

The term {{lang|la|municipium}} began to be used with reference to the city-states of Italy brought into the city-state of Rome but not incorporated into the city. The city of [Romulus](/source/Romulus) synoecised the nearby settlements of [Latium](/source/Latium), transferring their populations to the seven hills, where they resided in typically distinct neighbourhoods. And yet, Sabines continued to live in the Sabine Hills and [Alba Longa](/source/Alba_Longa) continued even though synoecised. The exact sequence of events is not known, whether the populace was given a choice or the synoecised sites were reoccupied. As it is unlikely that all the Sabines were invited to Rome, where facilities to feed and house them did not yet exist, it seems clear that [population transfer](/source/population_transfer) was only offered to some. The rest continued on as independent localities under the ultimate governance of Rome. Under the [Roman Republic](/source/Roman_Republic) the impracticality of transferring numerous large city-states to Rome was manifest. The answer to the problem was the {{lang|la|municipium}}. The town would be partially synoecised. The [local government](/source/Local_government_(ancient_Roman)) would remain but to its {{lang|la|munera}} would be added {{lang|la|munera}} due to the city of Rome. The partial synoecism took the form of a charter granting incorporation into the city of Rome and defining the rights and responsibilities of the citizens. The first {{lang|la|municipium}} was [Tusculum](/source/Tusculum).
<!--and the granting of the {{lang|laius Latii}} – the 'Latin-rights' of citizenship. A municipium, peopled with native Romanized people, was not a new settlement, as a {{lang|la|[colonia](/source/Colonia_(Roman))}} was, but resulted from the incorporation of a conquered town into the Roman state.-->

==Two orders of the {{lang|la|municipia}}==
The citizens of {{lang|la|municipia}} of the first order held full [Roman citizenship](/source/Roman_citizenship) and their [rights](/source/rights) ({{lang|la|civitas optimo iure}}) included the [right to vote](/source/Suffrage), which was the ultimate right in Rome, and a sure sign of full rights.

The second order of {{lang|la|municipia}} comprised important [tribal](/source/Tribe) centres which had come under Roman control. [Residents](/source/Domicile_(law)) of these did not become full Roman citizens (although their [magistrates](/source/Roman_magistrate) could become so after retirement). They were given the [duties](/source/Duty) of full [citizens](/source/Citizenship) in terms of [liability](/source/Legal_liability) to [tax](/source/tax)es and [military service](/source/military_service), but not all of the rights: most significantly, they had no right to vote.

[Executive power](/source/Executive_(government)) in {{lang|la|municipium}} was held by four annually [elected](/source/Election) [official](/source/official)s, composed of two [duumvirs](/source/Duumviri) and two [aedile](/source/aedile)s. [Advisory](/source/Advice_(opinion)) powers were held by the [decurions](/source/Curiales), appointed members of the local equivalent to the [Senate](/source/Roman_Senate). In later years, these became hereditary.

==Examples for grants of {{lang|la|municipia}}==
# [Volubilis](/source/Volubilis) in the province of [Mauretania](/source/Mauretania) (modern day [Morocco](/source/Morocco)) was promoted to a {{lang|la|municipium}} by the [Emperor Claudius](/source/Claudius) as a reward for its help in a revolt in AD 40–41.
# The [Emperor Vespasian](/source/Vespasian) granted '[Latin rights](/source/Latin_rights)' to the provinces of [Hispania](/source/Hispania) ([Tarraconensis](/source/Hispania_Tarraconensis), [Baetica](/source/Hispania_Baetica), [Lusitania](/source/Lusitania)) in AD 73 or 74.
# Marcus Servilius Draco Albucianus from [Tripolitania](/source/Tripolitania) successfully petitioned [Rome](/source/Rome) to grant the status of {{lang|la|municipium}} on his town.<ref>Edmondson, J., 2006, "Cities and urban life in the Western provinces of the Roman Empire, 30BC – 250AD", in Potter, D.S, A Companion to the Roman Empire, Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell, pp. 250–280</ref>

==See also==
* [Local government (ancient Roman)](/source/Local_government_(ancient_Roman))
* [Colonia (Roman)](/source/Colonia_(Roman))
* [Roman citizenship](/source/Roman_citizenship)

==References==
{{EB1911 poster|Municipium}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Roman law
Category:Types of Roman towns and cities
Category:Subdivisions of ancient Rome

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Municipium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipium) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipium?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.