by Aldus Marius on Fri Jul 30, 2004 2:27 am
Salve, mi Curio!
There were various levels of recognition awarded to Roman towns, cities, colonies, trading-posts and what-have-you. A proper "township" (municipium) would have a charter, a city council, a city plan on file, and other trappings of local government. Interestingly, the council was called a senatus; and dedications are found from time to time with inscriptions mentioning that So-and-So was a town-councillor, among his other achievements.
The post of senator of a city acquired tax-gathering responsibilities in the late Empire, and not surprisingly fell out of favor. (Nobody wanted to be the one to lean on his neighbor.) The Caesars responded to the point where service on a council became mandatory for men of the appropriate class, and you were likely to suffer punishment if you tried to evade your duties. Someday humanity will learn that the gift of service, like any other gift, is made worthless when it is extracted by force...
In fide,
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.