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

narrowed the meaning of touta down to a Stadtgemeinde, an urban community.
Devoto and Camporeale accepted Rosenberg's views regarding the authority of the
meddix luticus and therefore of the extension of a touta. 31
Salmon's interpretation of the word touta differed significantly from that of
Beloch and Rosenberg. He identified Livy's populi Samnitium with the tribes of the
Pentri, the Caudini, the Carracini and the Hirpini in the central Apennines and argued
that each of these populi formed a touta. 32 Salmon also argued that these four tribes
formed the so-called Samnite league. 33 This was not a federal state, but a
confederation of independent states; the novelty of his thesis was that the ineddix
tuticus was not the leading officer of the federation, but that of each individual state,
that is of each touta. According to Salmon, ancient sources did not know the exact
title of the overall leader of this Samnite league, sometimes calling him dux or
Imperator, occasionally basileus or princeps. 34 Salmon also attempted to provide the
individual touta with an administrative structure. Since there was no tradition of
urbanized citizen communities (civitates) among the Samnites, a touta consisted of a
number of pagi, an administrative term which was often used among Latin-speaking
populations such as the Vestini. 35 He also thought it possible that the meddix without
adjective was the officer of a pages subordinate to the meddix tuticus. 36
Prosdocimi's definition of the touta recalls Rosenberg's argument, although his
conclusions were reached by a different route. 37 Prosdocimi revisited previous
arguments which had noted a relationship between the expressions touta iguviana -
touta tadinate and the arx (ocri/ocar, citadel) in the Iguvine Tablets. He argued that,
30 Zotta (1932) 7.
31 Devoto (1967) 215-224; Camporeale (1956) 97.
32 Salmon (1967) 81 on Livy, 9.22.2.
33 Salmon (1967) 95-7.
34 Salmon (1967) 99.
35 Salmon (1967) 79-80.
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