the ethnological notebooks of karl marx - Marxists Internet Archive

Notes to Morgan, pp. 227-232.244 “ Leaders who out of love are called patres.” Cicero, De Republica,II, 8.245 “ He took care to assure his reign while expanding the republic byraising up 100 more patres who were known as those of the minorgentes, a faction inseparable from the king (Tarquinius Priscus),whose benefaction had brought them into the curia.”246 “Having had his royal power legitimated, (Tarquinius) firstly doubledthe number of patres, calling the earlier patres those of the majorgentes, whose judgment was asked first... then that of the patres ofthe minor gentes.”247 fast so numerous] repeated.248 Ms.: schreibt.249 “When the Senate of Romulus, which was composed of the best men,favored thus by the king, who wished that they be called patres andtheir children patricians etc.”25° “They are called patres out of respect, and their children patricians.”251 “These hundred men were chosen and called patres, having the formof a public council. This is the origin of the name Patrician.”252 Ms.: Fabrician.253 “ The plebes jointly referred the matter to the consuls.”254 Ms.: Solon. Morgan, ib., p. 341: “Imitating Solon, with whose planof government he was doubtless familiar, Servius divided the peopleinto five classes__ ”255 A s, a Roman monetary unit at the time of Servius Tullius equal to apound of copper. “As a copper coin, the as was, acc. to the ancientcustom of weighing money, originally a pound (asses librales or aesgrave) ... and was uncoined (aes rude) until Servius Tullius stampedit with the figures of animals (hence pecunia from pecus)__ ” Lewisand Short, op. cit., s.v. But the as was originally an aes grave or rude,that is, a bronze plaque, rectangular in form, uncoined until ServiusTullius as above. (Ernout et Meillet, op. cit., s.v.). Pecunia was theexclusive property (in cattle) of the master of the household at thetime of the Law of the 12 Tables, as opposed to familia, the commonproperty of the free house-community, and to peculium, the exclusiveproperty of the slaves (Walde-Hofmann, op. cit., s.v.). The system ofWalde and Hofmann is not specified as to time and is generally toorestricted, for peculium is the exclusive right to property of anyoneunder the potestas or dominium of the master, whether a son, a slave,etc. The right of ownership of a peculium was in certain cases recognizedin accord with the master or paterfamilias, and in some caseswithout reference to him.These meanings are relevant both to the excerpts of Marx fromMorgan and from Maine. The Introduction to this volume, section 6,Community, Collectivism and Individualism sets forth the system ingeneral. On Maine, see his Lectures, op. cit., pp. 147-149, 171-172:pecunia, cattle, etc. See below, Marx, Maine excerpts, pp. 167-168.410