02-10-2008, 03:37 AM
Quote:I am interested to know what book you are working on, and what the general storyline is. Would you share that with us?
Hello Victoria. The book details from 500 BC to 200 AD all organisations (military, political and tribal) of the Romans, including some in-depth studies of famous and not so famous battles, plus how the armies were levied for each campaign. There is an extensive chapter on the Servian organisation. It is important to understand the Romans under the reign of Servius Tullius created a neatly structured paper organisation for the Ager Romanus. Every organisation whether it be military or political was mathematically divisible by each organisation, then all these organisations again are divisible by how the Romans subdivided the cosmos, except for the Roman military camp which was based on the Etruscan subdivision of the cosmos.
Now in regard to your question of the century, I have just finished the chapter on the levy system for the Second Punic War and the value of the century during this period is now 300 men for the infantry. For voting, the 300 men are organised into three centuries of 100 men. Each of these centuries of 100 men will vote yes or no. If the majority vote yes, then the vote for the 100 men is yes. When this procedure is completed for each of the remaining two centuries of 100 men, if the tally is 2 centuries yes, 1 century no, then the vote of the 300 men converts to one vote of yes for that century of 300 men. A lot of confusion can arise in the way the Romans use their terminology. When the value of the century reaches a certain figure, the Roman will then enlarge in increments of 25% the tribal structure and decrease the value of the century in relation to the increase in the tribal structure.
The whole Roman world is governed by formulas. Even the increase in tribes is done in increments of two, so as to maintain the formula. This is so all numbers, both military, political and tribal will divide by the subdivisions of the cosmos. Therefore all the men raised in a campaign must be divided by the tribes levied, so each army has an equal representation of the tribes to legitimise voting while on campaign, and the tribes levied must be divisible by the cosmos subdivisions, which equates to voting districts, and governs the organisation of the army The most significant feature of the book that becomes apparent to the reader is the accuracy of the primary sources. That Victoria is what the book is about—putting modesty aside, a landmark study on the Roman organisational structures. :wink:
In the middle of the night I wake up to the outraged ghost of Livy
standing at my bed, bellowing
“ok scribe, what I say put to pen,
for two long, as a historian I have been condemned,
but through my words you will make recompense.
Does anyone know what if feels like to be the slave of a ghost? It’s not easy.
