Cameria or Camerium was an ancient city of
Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Definition
Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...
, which according to tradition was conquered by
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in the time of the
Kings, and destroyed following a revolt against Roman authority in 502 BC. Its inhabitants were known as Camerini.
[''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'', vol. I, p. 489 ("Cameria or Camerium").]
History
Cameria was one of the most ancient cities of Latium, having been established as a colony of
Alba Longa
Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources) was an ancient Latin city in Central Italy, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, in the vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills. Founder and head of the Latin League, it was d ...
, long before the founding of Rome.
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
attributes its foundation to Latinus Silvius, one of the
Alban kings
The kings of Alba Longa, or Alban kings (Latin language, Latin: ''reges Albani''), were a series of legendary kings of Latium, who ruled from the ancient city of Alba Longa. In the Roman mythology, mythic tradition of ancient Rome, they fill the 4 ...
. It was numbered among the ''Prisci Latini'', the old
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
towns whose inhabitants were regarded as
aborigines; that is, those who had lived there ''ab origine'', "from the beginning".
[Dionysius, ii. 50.][Livy, i. 38.] It is uncertain whether its name is connected with that of ''Camers'', the name of two mythological personages alluded to by
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
. The location of Cameria is no longer known with certainty, but the most likely candidate for its modern location is the town of
Palombara Sabina
Palombara Sabina ( Romanesco: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy.
Main sights
* Savelli-Torlonia Castle, built from the 11th century by the Ottaviani, a branch of the Crescentii family of Rome. Antipope Innocent I ...
, built on a hill near the foot of
Monte Gennaro.
Conquest by Romulus
Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς,
; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary sty ...
relates that in the early years of the Roman Kingdom, the Camerini came into conflict with the Romans led by
Romulus
Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...
, the legendary founder and first
King of Rome
The king of Rome ( la, rex Romae) was the ruler of the Roman Kingdom. According to legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city in 753 BC upon the Palatine Hill. Seven legendary kings are said to have ruled Rome until 509 ...
, and
Titus Tatius
According to the Roman foundation myth, Titus Tatius was the king of the Sabines from Cures and joint-ruler of the Kingdom of Rome for several years.
During the reign of Romulus, the first king of Rome, Tatius declared war on Rome in respon ...
, the leader of the
Sabine
The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome.
The Sabines divide ...
population at Rome, who ruled alongside Romulus for five years. According to Dionysius, the expedition against the Camerini was the only military venture undertaken by the two kings during what was otherwise a peaceful period in Rome's early history.
Roman territory was regularly raided by parties from Cameria, and the city ignored repeated Roman demands to stop the "robbers", or otherwise redress the injury done to Roman property. Romulus and Tatius marched on Cameria, defeating the Camerini in a pitched battle, and then laying siege to the town, which they took by storm. The Camerini were disarmed, and a third of their territory was seized by Rome and allocated to its people, who began to settle in the former Camerian territory.
The Camerini then began harassing the Roman settlers, hoping to drive them from the captured land. Romulus and Tatius marched against the Camerini a second time, quickly scattering their men, and seizing the town's remaining territory. A
Roman colony
A Roman (plural ) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It is also the origin of the modern term ''colony''.
Characteri ...
was sent to Cameria, but about four thousand Camerini were invited to settle at Rome, where they were divided among the thirty
curia
Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...
e. Dionysius does not indicate whether or how many of the Camerini were permitted to remain in their ancestral home.
Later history
According to
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...
, Cameria was one of the ''Prisci Latini'' taken by
Tarquin the Elder, the fifth King of Rome, during his final campaign, along with Corniculum,
Ficulea,
Crustumerium
Crustumerium (or Crustumium) was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber.
In the legends concerning Rome's early history, the Crustumini were amongst the peoples whic ...
,
Ameriola
Ameriola was an ancient town in Latium in central Italy.
According to Livy, the town was part of the Latin League, which went to war with Rome during the reign of Rome's king Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. Ameriola was one of a number of towns captur ...
,
Medullia Medullia was a town in ancient Latium, Italy.
In Rome's early semi-legendary history, Medullia was one of a number of cities of the Latins who went to war with ancient Rome in the 7th century BC, during the reign of the Roman King Ancus Marcius. Th ...
, and
Nomentum
Mentana is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy. It is located north-east of Rome and has a population of about 23,000.
History
Mentana's name in ...
. Dionysius relates that Cameria submitted to Tarquin after receiving favourable terms, indicating that the city had regained its independence since its earlier conquest.
Following the expulsion of
Tarquin the Proud
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning 25 years until the popular uprising that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic.Livy, ''ab urbe condita libri'', I He is commonly known ...
, the seventh and last Roman King, in 509 BC, Cameria was one of the towns which rallied to the banners of
Octavius Mamilius
Octavius Mamilius (died 498/496 BC) was ''princeps'' ("leader, prince") of Tusculum, an ancient city of Latium. He was the son-in-law of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king of Rome. According to tradition, the '' gens Mamilia'' w ...
, the
dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...
of
Tusculum
Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable distance from Rome ( ...
, and Tarquin's son-in-law. Mamilius led a coalition of Latin cities in an attempt to restore Tarquin to the throne, in concert with the
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
king
Lars Porsena
Lars Porsena (or Porsenna; Etruscan: ) was an Etruscan king (lar) known for his war against the city of Rome. He ruled over the city of Clusium (Etruscan: ; modern Chiusi). There are no established dates for his rule, but Roman sources often plac ...
of
Clusium
Clusium ( grc-gre, Κλύσιον, ''Klýsion'', or , ''Kloúsion''; Umbrian:''Camars'') was an ancient city in Italy, one of several found at the site. The current municipality of Chiusi (Tuscany) partly overlaps this Roman walled city. The Roman ...
. Mamilius marched to Porsena's aid at the head of an army composed of Tusculans, Camerini, and
Antemnates, but his forces were prevented from entering the city following the destruction of the
Sublician Bridge, and instead ravaged the Roman countryside.
In 504 BC, Cameria was one of two Latin cities, together with
Fidenae
Fidenae ( grc, Φιδῆναι) was an ancient town of Latium, situated about 8 km north of Rome on the ''Via Salaria'', which ran between Rome and the Tiber. Its inhabitants were known as Fidenates. As the Tiber was the border between Etru ...
, which joined the Sabines in making war upon Rome. The Sabines and their allies were defeated, and Fidenae taken by storm, but the Sabines and Camerini resumed hostilities the following year. In 502, the
consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...
Opiter Verginius Tricostus undertook the war with Cameria, marching his forces to the city under cover of darkness, and mounting a surprise attack at dawn. Thrown into confusion, the Camerini could not resolve upon resistance or capitulation, and the city was swiftly taken. Verginius allowed the plunder of the city, executed the leaders responsible for undertaking war against Rome, razed the city, and sold the survivors into slavery.
The last mention of Cameria in Roman history occurs in 501, when a group of Camerian exiles, together with exiles from Fidenae, joined Octavius Mamilius in urging the
Latin League
The Latin League (c. 7th century BC – 338 BC)Stearns, Peter N. (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of World History'', Houghton Mifflin. pp. 76–78. . was an ancient confederation of about 30 villages and tribes in the region of Latium near the ancient c ...
to make war upon Rome. Dionysius does not mention Cameria among the cities of the Latin League that joined with Mamilius and Tarquin in 498.
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
includes Cameria in a list of Latin cities that no longer existed by the first century.
Legacy
The
surname
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
''Camerinus'' was borne by the oldest family of the
Sulpicia gens
The gens Sulpicia was one of the most ancient patrician families at ancient Rome, and produced a succession of distinguished men, from the foundation of the Republic to the imperial period. The first member of the gens who obtained the consulshi ...
, one of the most illustrious
patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
families of ancient Rome, and probably indicated that the Sulpicii originated at Cameria. Members of this family frequently held the highest offices of the Roman state from the earliest years of the
Republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
until the second century AD, and the name occurs to the end of Roman history.
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars.
The surviving portions of his t ...
reports that the
Coruncanii were also from Cameria.
[Tacitus, ''Annales'', xi. 24.]
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
*
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
, ''
Bibliotheca Historica
''Bibliotheca historica'' ( grc, Βιβλιοθήκη Ἱστορική, ) is a work of universal history by Diodorus Siculus. It consisted of forty books, which were divided into three sections. The first six books are geographical in theme, ...
'' (Library of History).
*
Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Dionysius of Halicarnassus ( grc, Διονύσιος Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἁλικαρνασσεύς,
; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary sty ...
, ''Romaike Archaiologia'' (Roman Antiquities).
* Titus Livius (
Livy
Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...
), ''
History of Rome
The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced m ...
''.
* Publius Vergilius Maro (
Vergil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
), ''Aeneid''.
* Gaius Plinius Secundus (
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
), ''
Historia Naturalis'' (Natural History).
*
Publius Cornelius Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars.
The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...
, ''
Annales
Annals are a concise form of historical writing which record events chronologically, year by year. The equivalent word in Latin and French is ''annales'', which is used untranslated in English in various contexts.
List of works with titles contai ...
''.
*
Sextus Aurelius Victor
Sextus Aurelius Victor (c. 320 – c. 390) was a historian and politician of the Roman Empire. Victor was the author of a short history of imperial Rome, entitled ''De Caesaribus'' and covering the period from Augustus to Constantius II. The work w ...
(attributed), ''De Origo Gentis Romanae'' (On the Origin of the Roman People).
* ''
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...
'',
William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849).
* ''
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography
The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' is the last in a series of classical dictionaries edited by the English scholar William Smith (1813–1893), following ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' and the ''Dictionary of Gr ...
'',
William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1854).
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Latin cities