The paper analyzes the relationship between the image of the city, space, and power in archaic Rome, with particular attention to the processes involved in the legal definition of urban space. Through an examination of ancient sources and augural tradition, it considers how the determination of space through word and ritual gesture (effatio) precedes the material construction of the city (sulcus primigenius and walls), contributing to the configuration of the Urbs as a political entity (civitas). The role of urban boundaries as mechanisms for regulating the exercise of power is also taken into account. Finally, the analysis extends to the transitional period between regnum and res publica, proposing a reinterpretation of the foundational dynamics in which space acts as a determining element in the process of institutionalizing power.
Parole e gesti: la creazione dell’immagine giuridica dell’Urbs. Alcune osservazioni sullo spazio e sul potere a Roma tra regnum e res publica
Fabio Cavallero
2025
Abstract
The paper analyzes the relationship between the image of the city, space, and power in archaic Rome, with particular attention to the processes involved in the legal definition of urban space. Through an examination of ancient sources and augural tradition, it considers how the determination of space through word and ritual gesture (effatio) precedes the material construction of the city (sulcus primigenius and walls), contributing to the configuration of the Urbs as a political entity (civitas). The role of urban boundaries as mechanisms for regulating the exercise of power is also taken into account. Finally, the analysis extends to the transitional period between regnum and res publica, proposing a reinterpretation of the foundational dynamics in which space acts as a determining element in the process of institutionalizing power.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
