According to prevailing view, lex Hortensia de plebiscitis about 287 B. C. ends the strugggles of orders and means the victory of plebeians. Annalistic tradition tells us that because of their debts plebeians seceded to Janiculum, whence they were brought back by Quintus Hortensius. However no tradition mentions that lex Hortensia de plebiscitis settled secession of plebeians. In my view, the majority of plebeians in this secession were urban dwellers. But censors of 304 B. C. excluded them from a position of influence in the assembly based on tribus, and so country dwellers became superior to urban dwellers. The lex Hortensia confirmed this superiority of country dwellers. Therefore lex Hortensia de plebiscitis could not settle secession of urban dwellers. Hortensius must have conceded to urban dwellers with respect to debts problems in order that he could bring back them to the city. If so, lex Hortensia de plebiscitis must have been a byproduct of secession. According to sources, after 320's B. C. plebiscita binded on all the roman citizens without any conditions and therefore the lex Hortensia merely confirmed this practice. On the other hand, another lex Hortensia has come down to us. This lex Hortensia de nundinis provided that nundinae should be dies fasti. Under this provision, peasants who dwelled in the country-side were set a limit to attend the assembly. In other words, leges Hortensiae confirmed superiority of country dwellers over urban dwellers in the assembly, but provided great practical limitation to exercise their votes in the assembly. To understand why after 320's B. C. plebiscita got the binding force over the roman citizens, we must recognize the formation of nobilitas that began from 330's B. C. In my view, we must realize leges Hortensiae in the growth of nobilitas.
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