Submitted for award of PhD September 2006. - King's College London

Litemum and Puteoli in 194 BC; 392 the lands for Volturnum and Liternum were
carved out of the ager Campanus.
It seems, however, that first serious attempt to implement the scheme of 211 and
209 BC was only made in 173 BC, when the consul L. Postumius demarcated ager
publicus from private land, because much public land had fallen into private
hands. 393 Rathbone argues that Postumius laid out the centuriation grid of 200-iugera
blocks, which was re-used by the Gracchan land-commissioners, and is still visible in
Campania 394 Although the censors were able to lease out some lands in the
following year, in 165 BC the senate had to instruct the praetor P. Lentulus to buy
back public land voluntarily from its occupiers. 395 Lentulus acquired 50,000 iugera
and had a bronze map drawn up of the land divisions, which was placed in the
Atrium Libertatis, thus creating the first Roman public record of a land division.
These divisions of the ager Campanus, with slight amendments by the Gracchi and
Sulla, were altered only by Caesar, who distributed most of it among poor citizens,
thereby making the land private property. The process of privatisation was completed
by the veteran settlements of Caesar and Octavian. 396
3.2.5. Campanian magistrates and assemblies in Roman literary sources
392 The foundation (Livy 34.45.1) was carried out as it was previously agreed, mentions Livy 32.29.
3-4. Frederiksen argues that the foundation of these colonies meant their withdrawal from the ten
praefecturae: Frederiksen (1984) 269. Frederiksen (1984) 270 also thinks it possible that the old
inhabitants of Puteoli were retained in the praefectura, while the colonists were subject to the
jurisdiction of the duoviri of the colony.
393
Livy 42.1.6.
394
Rathbone (2003) 156.
395 Cic. De Leg. Agr. 2.30.82 and Gran. Licin 28.29-37 (Teubner)
396 Rathbone (2003) 156.
112