The Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum (Corpus of Roman Land Surveyors) is a Roman book on land surveying which collects works by Siculus Flaccus, Frontinus, Agennius Urbicus, Hyginus Gromaticus and other writers, known as the Gromatici or Agrimensores ("land surveyors"). The work is preserved in various manuscripts, of which the oldest is the 6th or 7th-century Codex Arcerianus.
A page from the Codex Arcerianus. One illustration shows a perspective view of a house, and the other, the boundaries of the property.
The Corpus consists of a number of texts with different contents, composed at different dates. The Codex Arcerianus alone contains 33 separate works,[1] most of which are the writings of the Agrimensores. These writings were clearly written as textbooks or manuals for working land surveyors.[2] The most important authors in the collection are Frontinus (1st century AD), Agennius Urbicus (5th or 6th century), Hyginus Gromaticus, Siculus Flaccus (2nd century), Balbus [de] and Marcus Junius Nipsus (2nd century).
Another important component of the work are the Libri Coloniarum ("Books of Colonies"), lists of surveyed areas of countryside and cities in Italy between Etruria and Sicily, mostly in southern Italy.[3] Possibly, these were areas that were subject to land surveys, although they had already been occupied under the arcifinalis law (i.e. land survey and distribution at point of conquest).[4] The process is much debated among historians.
A third sub-set of works in the corpus are writings which deal with the mathematical and geometric aspects of land surveying. The most important of these are the Expositio et ratio omnium formarum (Explanation and Calculation of All Shapes) by Balbus and a mathematical work by Epaphrodites and Vitruvius Rufus[5]
Various other texts are also bundled into the Corpus, including:[6]
The Lex Mamila Roscia Peducaea Alliena Fabia, part of a Roman law on setting and protecting land boundaries. In particular, the law imposes a fine of 5,000 sesterces for moving a boundary stone. The date of the law is debated, but it is likely that the law was proposed and passed by Gaius Mamilius Limetanus when he was tribune of the people in 109 BC.[7]
Transmission and legacyedit
The Corpus is transmitted in several manuscripts. The oldest of these is the sixth- or seventh-century uncialmanuscript known as the Codex Arcerianus or Codex Guelfferbytanus 36.23 Augusteus 2, now held in the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel.[8][9] This is one of the few surviving non-literary and non-religious illuminated manuscripts from late antiquity. Like all later manuscripts, this text contains gaps and corrupt sections; the beginning and ending of the manuscript are both missing.[10] The various scripts and formats of the manuscript show that the work is a compilation. Different manuscripts have very different contents. For example, Siculus Flaccus' text is absent from the Codex Arcerianus and manuscripts derived from it, except for a short extract appearing within another text.
The Corpus, especially its mathematical portions, were also included in the encyclopaedic works of Late Antiquity. Its influence may extend to the Palace school of Charlemagne [de].[11] The collection was still widely read in the Early Middle Ages.[12]
Printing and translationedit
Individual texts from the Corpus began to appear in printed editions from 1491. In 1554, Adrianus Turnebus published a printed edition of the majority of the Corpus, including the important Agrimensores, under the title De Agrorum Conditionibus et Constitutionibus Limitum (On the Creation of Fields and Delimitation of their Borders).[13]Petrus Scriverius used the Codex Arcerianus as the basis of his edition in 1607.[14]
The German ancient historian, Karl Lachmann edited significant portions of the collection, especially the writings of the Agrimensores Frontinues, Agennius Urbicus, Hyginus Gromaticus and Siculus Flaccus, as well as the Libri Coloniarum in 1848. The 1913 edition of Carl Olof Thulin contains only a few works. The 2000 edition of Brian Campbell is much broader and also contains an English translation.
Blume, Friedrich; Lachmann, Karl; Rudorff, Adolf August Friedrich, eds. (1848–1852). Gromatici veteres. Die Schriften der römischen Feldmesser. Berlin.
Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum (Cod. Guelf. 36.23 Aug. 2°, Codex Arcerianus): ein Agrimensorencodex, illustriertes Handbuch für den römischen Feldvermesser, 6. Jahrhundert, in der Herzog August Bibliothek. Fotomechnische Reproduktion mit einer Einleitung von Hans Butzmann, Leiden 1970, ISBN90-218-9230-8.
Carl Olof Thulin, ed., Corpus agrimensorum Romanorum (= Opuscula agrimensorum veterum. I). Leipzig 1913 (Nachdruck Stuttgart 1971), ISBN3-519-01245-6.
Campbell, Brian, ed. (2000). The writings of the Roman land surveyors. Introduction, translation and commentary. Journal of the Roman Studies Monographs. Vol. 9. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Further readingedit
Philipp Cranach, Die Opuscula agrimensorum veterum und die Entstehung der kaiserzeitlichen Limitationstheorie (Schweizerische Beiträge zur Altertumswissenschaft. Band 26). Schwabe, Basel 1996, ISBN3-7245-0928-6.
Fabricius, Ernst (1924). Über die Lex Mamilia Roscia Peducaea Alliena Fabia. Heidelberg.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Hinrichs, Focke Tannen (1974). Die Geschichte der gromatischen Institutionen : Untersuchungen zu Landverteilung, Landvermessung, Bodenverwaltung u. Bodenrecht im röm. Reich. Wiesbaden: Steiner. ISBN3-515-01825-5.
Knobloch, Eberhard; Möller, Cosima, eds. (2014). In den Gefilden der römischen Feldmesser : Juristische, wissenschaftsgeschichtliche, historische und sprachliche Aspekte. Berlin: De Gruyter. ISBN9783110290844.
Morris, Jason (2016). Shaping the Empire: Agrimensores, Emperors and the Creation of the Roman Provincial Identities (PhD). University of Leicester.
Weitzmann, Kurt, ed., Age of spirituality: late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century, no. 188, 1979, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, ISBN9780870991790; full text available online from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries
April 10, 2024
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The Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum Corpus of Roman Land Surveyors is a Roman book on land surveying which collects works by Siculus Flaccus Frontinus Agennius Urbicus Hyginus Gromaticus and other writers known as the Gromatici or Agrimensores land surveyors The work is preserved in various manuscripts of which the oldest is the 6th or 7th century Codex Arcerianus A page from the Codex Arcerianus One illustration shows a perspective view of a house and the other the boundaries of the property Contents 1 Contents and authors 2 Transmission and legacy 3 Printing and translation 4 References 5 Editions 6 Further readingContents and authors editThe Corpus consists of a number of texts with different contents composed at different dates The Codex Arcerianus alone contains 33 separate works 1 most of which are the writings of the Agrimensores These writings were clearly written as textbooks or manuals for working land surveyors 2 The most important authors in the collection are Frontinus 1st century AD Agennius Urbicus 5th or 6th century Hyginus Gromaticus Siculus Flaccus 2nd century Balbus de and Marcus Junius Nipsus 2nd century Another important component of the work are the Libri Coloniarum Books of Colonies lists of surveyed areas of countryside and cities in Italy between Etruria and Sicily mostly in southern Italy 3 Possibly these were areas that were subject to land surveys although they had already been occupied under the arcifinalis law i e land survey and distribution at point of conquest 4 The process is much debated among historians A third sub set of works in the corpus are writings which deal with the mathematical and geometric aspects of land surveying The most important of these are the Expositio et ratio omnium formarum Explanation and Calculation of All Shapes by Balbus and a mathematical work by Epaphrodites and Vitruvius Rufus 5 Various other texts are also bundled into the Corpus including 6 Extracts from Euclid s Elements Extracts from Columella s De re rustica The Lex Mamila Roscia Peducaea Alliena Fabia part of a Roman law on setting and protecting land boundaries In particular the law imposes a fine of 5 000 sesterces for moving a boundary stone The date of the law is debated but it is likely that the law was proposed and passed by Gaius Mamilius Limetanus when he was tribune of the people in 109 BC 7 Transmission and legacy editThe Corpus is transmitted in several manuscripts The oldest of these is the sixth or seventh century uncial manuscript known as the Codex Arcerianus or Codex Guelfferbytanus 36 23 Augusteus 2 now held in the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbuttel 8 9 This is one of the few surviving non literary and non religious illuminated manuscripts from late antiquity Like all later manuscripts this text contains gaps and corrupt sections the beginning and ending of the manuscript are both missing 10 The various scripts and formats of the manuscript show that the work is a compilation Different manuscripts have very different contents For example Siculus Flaccus text is absent from the Codex Arcerianus and manuscripts derived from it except for a short extract appearing within another text The Corpus especially its mathematical portions were also included in the encyclopaedic works of Late Antiquity Its influence may extend to the Palace school of Charlemagne de 11 The collection was still widely read in the Early Middle Ages 12 Printing and translation editIndividual texts from the Corpus began to appear in printed editions from 1491 In 1554 Adrianus Turnebus published a printed edition of the majority of the Corpus including the important Agrimensores under the title De Agrorum Conditionibus et Constitutionibus Limitum On the Creation of Fields and Delimitation of their Borders 13 Petrus Scriverius used the Codex Arcerianus as the basis of his edition in 1607 14 The German ancient historian Karl Lachmann edited significant portions of the collection especially the writings of the Agrimensores Frontinues Agennius Urbicus Hyginus Gromaticus and Siculus Flaccus as well as the Libri Coloniarum in 1848 The 1913 edition of Carl Olof Thulin contains only a few works The 2000 edition of Brian Campbell is much broader and also contains an English translation References edit Friedrich Adolf Ebert in Blume Lachmann amp Rudorff 1848 1852 p 2 467ff Hinrichs 1974 p 163 Theodor Mommsen Die libri coloniarum in Blume Lachmann amp Rudorff 1848 1852 p 2 145ff Theodor Mommsen Die liber coloniarum in Blume Lachmann amp Rudorff 1848 1852 p 2 162 Menso Folkerts Die Mathematik der Agrimensoren Quellen und Nachwirkung in Knobloch amp Moller 2014 p 132 Menso Folkerts Die Mathematik der Agrimensoren Quellen und Nachwirkung in Knobloch amp Moller 2014 p 132 Fabricius 1924 p 16 at the HAB Wolfenbuttel Archived 2005 02 13 at the Wayback Machine Friedrich Blume Handschriften und Ausgaben der Agrimensoren in Blume Lachmann amp Rudorff 1848 1852 p 6 Friedrich Blume Handschriften und Ausgaben der Agrimensoren in Blume Lachmann amp Rudorff 1848 1852 p 22ff Menso Folkerts Die Mathematik der Agrimensoren Quellen und Nachwirkung in Blume Lachmann amp Rudorff 1848 1852 p 2 143f Jens Olaf Lindermann Locus ager spatium Wortuntersuchungen zum Raumbegriff der Gromatici veteres in Knobloch amp Moller 2014 p 199 Friedrich Blume Handschriften und Ausgaben der Agrimensoren in Blume Lachmann amp Rudorff 1848 1852 p 76ff Campbell 2000 p xxiEditions editBlume Friedrich Lachmann Karl Rudorff Adolf August Friedrich eds 1848 1852 Gromatici veteres Die Schriften der romischen Feldmesser Berlin Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum Cod Guelf 36 23 Aug 2 Codex Arcerianus ein Agrimensorencodex illustriertes Handbuch fur den romischen Feldvermesser 6 Jahrhundert in der Herzog August Bibliothek Fotomechnische Reproduktion mit einer Einleitung von Hans Butzmann Leiden 1970 ISBN 90 218 9230 8 Carl Olof Thulin ed Corpus agrimensorum Romanorum Opuscula agrimensorum veterum I Leipzig 1913 Nachdruck Stuttgart 1971 ISBN 3 519 01245 6 Campbell Brian ed 2000 The writings of the Roman land surveyors Introduction translation and commentary Journal of the Roman Studies Monographs Vol 9 London a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Further reading editPhilipp Cranach Die Opuscula agrimensorum veterum und die Entstehung der kaiserzeitlichen Limitationstheorie Schweizerische Beitrage zur Altertumswissenschaft Band 26 Schwabe Basel 1996 ISBN 3 7245 0928 6 Fabricius Ernst 1924 Uber die Lex Mamilia Roscia Peducaea Alliena Fabia Heidelberg a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Manfred Fuhrmann Das systematische Lehrbuch Gottingen 1960 Hinrichs Focke Tannen 1974 Die Geschichte der gromatischen Institutionen Untersuchungen zu Landverteilung Landvermessung Bodenverwaltung u Bodenrecht im rom Reich Wiesbaden Steiner ISBN 3 515 01825 5 Knobloch Eberhard Moller Cosima eds 2014 In den Gefilden der romischen Feldmesser Juristische wissenschaftsgeschichtliche historische und sprachliche Aspekte Berlin De Gruyter ISBN 9783110290844 Morris Jason 2016 Shaping the Empire Agrimensores Emperors and the Creation of the Roman Provincial Identities PhD University of Leicester Adolf Schulten Gromatici In August Pauly ed Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft Vol VII 2 pp 1886 1896 Weitzmann Kurt ed Age of spirituality late antique and early Christian art third to seventh century no 188 1979 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York ISBN 9780870991790 full text available online from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum amp oldid 1186020411, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
