Following the Social War, Italian cities enjoyed some privileges in the Roman Empire. However, Italy was divided into many provinces (regiones), and governors (correctores) were sent by emperors during the third century. Although many scholars believe that these governors began to control Italian cities, the evidence is limited. Although most literary sources are unreliable, we have about twenty inscriptions regarding correctores during this period. Most of these inscriptions were dedicated to emperors by correctores or to the correctores themselves by communities or individuals. These inscriptions do not in fact support the interpretation of extensive governor control over Italian cities. Only one inscription (AE 1914.249=AE 1917/18.124=AE 1919.52) from Como seems to lend itself to such a reading. The wording of this inscription is as follows: "T. Fl. Postumius Titianus, clarissimus vir, corrector Italiae, perfected and dedicated the Temple of Sol by the order of Our Lords the Diocletian and Maximian emperors, and Axilius Iunior, clarissimus vir, curator of the city, took charge". Although this inscription seems to support the hypothesis of governor control over cities, contextual analysis suggests other possibilities. First, in comparison to other inscriptions in which the emperors took the initiative, such as in the case of the bath complex at Rome, the role of the emperors does not stand out. Therefore, it is unlikely that the emperors took the initiative in Como. Second, Titianus seems to have occupied a special position in the government, investigating in place of the emperors (CIL 6.1418). Therefore, we can-not generalize from this particular case. Third, both Titianus, the governor, and Axilius Iunior, the curator, were senators, and the former did not seem to take precedence over the latter. The inscription was very likely produced around 291 A.D., a date that is quite significant. In the winter of 290-291, Diocletian met Maximian at Milan, near Como. The city authority for Como would have dispatched delegates to Milan to make a petition to the emperors regarding the Temple of Sol. The curator probably played a key role in making this petition. His father had also been a curator of Como, therefore Axilius Iunior was more like a patron of the city than a member of the governor's staff. According to Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History (9.2.1), support provided by a curator of a city was key to making the city's petition to the emperor a success in 311. Perhaps Axilius Iunior played a similar role in 291. As a result, the governor Titianus "perfected and dedicated" the Temple of Sol by the "order" of the emperors, but this "order" was passive. In conclusion, although at first glance the Como inscription suggests governor control over Italian cities, contextualization reveals other possibilities. The inscription was probably the result of active petitioning on the part of an Italian city; therefore, it cannot be read as proof of control. Further study of this inscription will yield new insights into the complex and shifting relationship among Italian cities, governors and emperors in the third century A.D.
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