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

had been granted Capuan citizenship. His family had probably migrated from Atella
and the name of that settlement was preserved in their cognomen.
Little is said about the functions of the rneddices tutici. They mostly appear as
leaders of the anny. However, on one occasion Marius Blossius appears in a political
role, when he summoned the popular assembly of Capua. 413 The accounts of the
revolt of Capua from Rome in 216 BC give us an insight into the workings of the
internal politics in the city. 414 Livy mentions that Capua had a senatus.
415 It seems to
have been common practice among Oscan speaking communities, at least later, to
borrow the Latin term for their leading council as is shown by other examples from
Southern Italy. 416 Frederiksen has argued that a passage in Livy describing the
political crisis at Capua following the battle of Cannae suggests that the members of
the senate were elected. 417 Livy says that the populace wanted to join Hannibal's
side, kill the members of the senate and give the power to an ex-meddix tuticus,
Pacuvius Calavius. Calavius solved the crisis by proposing that the people should
decide whether each member was worthy of belonging to the senate. Since the
people could not find better members than the old ones, the senate remained in place.
All sides were satisfied with the result. Later Calavius was the leader of the faction
that made Capua join the Carthaginians. 418 The Capuan leading classes were loyal to
the Romans because of intermarriage and other connections, while the people were
keen to revolt, especially since Hannibal was already in the region. Similar events are
recorded in other cities and towns of Southern Italy. The credibility of the passage is
413 Livy 23.7.9.
414 Livy 23.2-10.
4I5 Livy 23.2.2.
416 ST Sa 9 (Pietrabbondante) ST Cml A8, B9 (Nola and Abella).
417 Frederisksen (1984) 141. Livy 23.2-10.
418 Livy 23.8.3.
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