Ordo Romanorum Regum

Notes

The extant manuscripts of the Great Stemma generally contain a brief history of Rome, including an Ordo Romanorum Regum or list of the kings who ruled Rome between the time of its foundation and its transformation into a republic. These kings are semi-legendary figures and the periods of their rule were never entirely certain at any point in Antiquity.

A modern reader might suppose that the length of such periods was an official "fact" which would have been easily accessible from imperial histories or from anniversary celebrations, but this does not seem to have been the case. Not only was the data unsettled right up to the time of Late Antique chronography, but authors also tended to cut corners. In Jerome's revision of the Chronological Canons, for example, there is clear evidence, recently brought to light by Inglebert, that Jerome, who grandly referred to the great Roman historians, probably had not actually read them himself, since he cribs his material from popular short antiquarian works instead. [*]Inglebert, Les Romains Chrétiens face à l'Histoire de Rome, is a study of the reception by Early Christian writers of Roman history. It demonstrates that there was wide variation in the details and numbers that they took over from their pagan sources.

In the discussion that follows, we assume that the Great Stemma employs the Chronological Canons of Eusebius as its source, since this makes a convenient starting point for the analysis.

1. The duration of the republic. For the period from the founding of the Roman republic till the seizure of power by Julius Caesar, Eusebius seems to set the interval as lasting from Abrahamic Year 1505 to 1969, or 464 years. However this is by no means certain.

In the Armenian text of the Canons, as analysed by Inglebert, Eusebius states the interval as only 460 years, while Jerome "corrects" this to 464 in his version of the gloss: Romae post exactos Reges primum consules duo a Bruto esse coeperunt; deinde tribuni plebis ac dictatores, et rursum consules rempublicam obtinuerunt per annos ferme CDLXIV usque ad Julium Caesarem, qui primus singulare arripuit imperium... (Helm 188 d) (After the kings had been expelled, first two consuls began to exist at Rome, from Brutus; then tribunes of the plebs and dictators, and then consuls again controlled the Republic for close to 464 years, until Julius Caesar, who was the first to seize sole rule...).[*]Inglebert, Romains, 225

For this period, the Great Stemma offers a total of 482 years, a discrepancy of at least 22 years. Its gloss states: post Tarquinium Superbus usque ad Iulium Cesarem fiunt anni CCCC LXXX II. Unfortunately there is no other data in the Great Stemma to check this by, so we do not know if this is the original text or a copyist's error.

2. The duration of the monarchy. Investigation of the Stemma's Ordo Romanorum Regum suggests both some degree of corruption in the transmission of our document and perhaps also some confusion by its author during his research. While one must also entertain the possibility that this Ordo may have entered the work long after the Great Stemma left its author's desk, we need to consider the evidence that the author had his own distinctive take on the subject.

The official version, which is found in the writings of Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus and was presumably chiselled in a now-lost panel of the Fasti Capitolini in Rome, proposes that Rome was ruled by seven kings spanning a period of 244 years before it became a republic in about 496 BCE.

In the Canons, Eusebius puts the foundation of Rome in Abrahamic year 1262, the start of the reign of Romulus in 1265 and the start of the republic in 1505. Inglebert considers that it is Jerome, not Eusebius, who then adds the gloss: Romanorum reges VII a Romulo usque ad Tarquinium Superbum imperaverunt ann. CCXL. Sive ut quibusdam placet CCXLIII (Helm 188 c) (The seven kings of the Romans from Romulus until Tarquinius Superbus reigned for 240 years, or as some prefer, 243). [*]Inglebert, Romains, 225

The Great Stemma, at least in our manuscripts, prefers a time span of 245 years, stating: fiunt in uno anni CCXLV. This does not seem to be a copying error.

3. Titus Tatius. In the plain reading, without applying special knowledge, the chronology in the Great Stemma proposes that the kingship period spanned eight reigns, adding in a five-year reign by a Sabine ruler, Titus Tatius. This version extends the reign of Ancus by four more years over the Livy/Dionysius reckoning and reduces the reign of Servius by eight. The Great Stemma thus arrives at its non-standard sum of 245, not 244 years for the monarchy.

None of the Great Stemma manuscripts transmits this peculiar chronology perfectly: the total given is not the sum of the parts. But the gist of the author's intention can be guessed at by collating several of the versions:

Roda	Plutei	Millan	Gerona	St Sever	Yrs	Liber Genealogus L recension	Yrs	Livy/ Dionysius Account	Yrs
In Roma regnavit prior Romulus annos XXVIII	In Roma regnavit priur Romulus annos XXXVIII	In Roma regnavit prior Romulus annos XXXta VIIIto	In Roma regnabit prior Romulus annos XXXVIII	In Roma regnavit prior Romulus anis XXXVIII	38	Ipsi enim primo regnaverunt Romae simul annis XXXVIII.	38	Romulus (- 716 BCE)(37 plus one year interregnum)	38
Titus Tacius rex Savinorum annos V	Titus Tacitus rex Sabinorum annos V	Itus Tacius rex Sabinorum annos quinque	Titus Tacius red Sabinorum annos V	Titus Tacius rex Sabinorum annos quinque	5	post hos Titus Tatius dux Sabinorum regnavit annis quadraginta unu.	41	Titus Tatius, Sabine king and co-ruler with Romulus for five years	0
Numa Pampilius annos XIII	Numa Pamphilius annos XLIII	Numa Pompilius annos XXXta IIo	Numma Pamfilius annos XLIIII	Numma Pamphilius anos XIIII (XLIII?)	43	dehinc Numa Pompilius annis quadraginta tribus.	43	Numa Pompilius (-674 BCE)	43
Tullius Ostillius annos XXII	Tullus Hostilius annos XXXII	[omitted]	Tullus Ostibus annos XXXIII	Tullius Hostilius annos XXXIII	32	Tullius Hostilius ann. XXX duobus.	32	Tullus Hostilius (-642 BCE)(see Dion. Hal. 4.35.1; Livy I.31, 5-8)	32
Ancus Martius Philiphus annos XXVIIII	Ancus Martius Philippus annos XXVIII	(A)ncus Martius Philippus annos XXXta VIIIto	Ancus Martius Philipus [rest omitted]	Ancus Marcius Philippus annos XXVIII	28	Anchus Marchus Filippus annis XXVIII.	28	Ancus Martius (616 BCE)	24
Tarquinius Priscus annos XXXVIIII	Tarquinius Priscus annos XXXVIII	Tarquinius Priscus annos XXXta VIIIto	Tarquinus princeps annos XXXVIII	Tarquinius Priscus annos XXXVIII	38	Tarquinius Prischus annis XXX octo; cuius anno sexto regni a Nabuchodonosor rege Hierusalem ostenditur captivari.	38	Tarquinius Priscus (-579 BCE)	38
Servius Tullius de serva natus sed ingenua annos XXVI	Servius Tullius des serva natus sed ingenta annos XXVI	Servius Tullius de serva natus sed ingenua.. annos XXXta VIIIta	Servius Tullius de serva natus sed ingenua annos XXXVI	Servius Tullius de serva natus sed ingenua annos XXXVI	36	Servus Tulius serva natus annis XXXVI.	36	Servius Tullius (-535 BCE)	44
Tarquinius Superibus annos XXV	Tarquinius Superbus annos XXV	Tarquinius Superbus annos XXV	Tarquinius Supervus anos XXV	Tarquinius Superbus annos XXV	25	Iam tunc Romani magnificabantur regnante Tarquinio Supervo, qui fuit Romanorum rex octavus ab urbe condita et regnavit annis XXIIII.	24	Tarquinius Superbus (-496 BCE)	25
Fiunt in uno anni CCXLV	Fiunt in unum annos CCXLV	Quot fiunt in unum anni CCXV	Fiunt in unum omnes ... orum anni CCXV	Fiunt in unum omnes istorum anni CXV	245		280		244

It is difficult to assess whether the Liber Genealogus ever concurred with this calculation, since there is only one manuscript still extant containing this material, that at Lucca (L), which differs from the Great Stemma in both its detail and the final total.

Mommsen's reading (in his note on page 182 of his edition) attaches his authority to the total of 280 years, based on a reign of 41 years by Titus Tatius. Unfortunately we do not know what principles Mommsen followed in his effort to rectify the text. Inglebert accepts Mommsen's reading of L and argues that this is consistent with the sum of years given in the document:

Le nombre est facile à expliquer. L'auteur affirme que Rémus et Romulus ont régné ensemble 38 ans (Liber genealogus 431-432); de plus il ajoute les 41 années de règne de Titus Tatius (Liber genealogus 433). Les autres dates des rois sont conformes à la tradition: Numa règne 43 ans, Tullus Hostilius 32 ans, Ancus Marcus 28 ans, Tarquin l'Ancien 38 ans, Servius Tullius 36 ans et Tarquin le Superbe, qui est le huitième roi, règne 24 ans (Liber genealogus 434-438 et 426). On tient pour la Royauté une durée de 280 ans (Liber genealogus 239). ... Selon ce comput ... Rome fui fondée en 744 avant notre ère. [*]Inglebert, Romains, 602

However if two numbers— 280 and 41— were assumed to be corruptions by the Lucca scribe, the Liber calculation can be rectified in a way different from Mommsen's edit, and we would in fact arrive at a sum fairly close to the calculation in the Great Stemma.

4. Other versions of the Ordo Romanorum Regum. The same text shows up with some slight modifications in an associated Spanish manuscript, the Chronicle of Albelda, which is transcribed here. Modern editors have attempted to rectify the difficulties by following the official Roman account, whereby Titus Tatius ruled simultaneously with Romulus. It seems however that we are dealing here with a distinctive chronographic tradition, probably situated within Christian history-writing, that prefers a "non-official" account of the origins of Rome.

We presume that this antithesis is based on a literary source archived somewhere outside of Rome itself, since it markedly differs from the official history of the empire engraved in stone, but we cannot yet offer any suggestion as to what that source was. The topic requires further research.

[to be continued]

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