Sicilia (Roman province)

In 264 BC, a group of Campanian mercenaries known as the Mamertines seized control of Messina. They killed and exiled the men of the city while holding the women in bondage. The Syracusan general Hiero advanced on the city to restore order. Carthage offered aid to the Mamertines to prevent any single power from dominating Sicily. The Mamertines expelled the Carthaginian garrison and asked Rome for help. A debate erupted at Rome about whether to intervene against Carthage. Some historians claimed a treaty existed assigning Sicily to Carthaginian influence. Polybius denied this treaty's existence but noted economic motivations drove Roman intervention. The Senate allowed the popular assembly to decide on sending aid. This decision marked the beginning of the First Punic War without an official declaration of war.

Grain And Governance

Rome established a provincial structure with a praetor and two quaestores based at Lilybaeum and Syracuse. In 227 BC, Gaius Flaminius was sent to Sicily as one of the first praetores provinciales. An annual grain tribute called the lex frumentaria imposed a tenth of the harvest on communities. Contractors known as decumani bid to collect these taxes. The system derived possibly from the Syracusan kingdom under King Hiero II. Small Italian proprietors lived on the island and faced varying levels of taxation depending on their status. Four legal classes divided the cities into foederatae civitates, civitates sine foedere immunes ac liberae, civitates decumanae, and civitates censoriae. Most cities paid the decuma tax while others enjoyed exemptions for loyalty during the Punic Wars. Syracuse became the capital in 212 BC after its conquest by Marcellus.

When did the Roman province of Sicilia begin and what triggered its creation?

The Roman province of Sicilia began in 264 BC when Rome intervened against Carthage to assist the Mamertines. This intervention marked the start of the First Punic War without an official declaration of war.

Who was the first praetor sent to govern Sicily as a Roman province and when did he arrive?

Gaius Flaminius arrived in Sicily in 227 BC as one of the first praetores provinciales. He oversaw the establishment of a provincial structure with two quaestores based at Lilybaeum and Syracuse.

What were the dates and outcomes of the First Servile War led by King Antiochus Eunus?

King Antiochus Eunus led the First Servile War between 138 and 132 BC before being vanquished near Messina in 133 BC. Consul Publius Rupilius captured Tauromenium and Enna in 132 BC, and about 20,000 slaves were crucified following the war's end.

How did Cicero prosecute Gaius Verres during his tenure as praetor of Sicily from 73 to 71 BC?

Cicero prosecuted Gaius Verres in Rome using speeches known as the Verrines that detail charges of extortion theft and robbery. Verres fled into exile after the trial began because he expected acquittal through manipulation of legal procedures but failed.

When did Augustus visit Sicily and what reforms did he implement regarding taxation and colonization?

Augustus visited Sicily in 22 or 21 BC during an imperial journey and established six coloniae including Syracuse and Tauromenium. He replaced the grain tithe with the stipendium property tax while settling Italian veterans on land to compensate for demographic slumps caused by warfare with Sextus Pompey.

Sicilia (Roman province)

Grain And Governance

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Common questions

When did the Roman province of Sicilia begin and what triggered its creation?

Who was the first praetor sent to govern Sicily as a Roman province and when did he arrive?

What were the dates and outcomes of the First Servile War led by King Antiochus Eunus?

How did Cicero prosecute Gaius Verres during his tenure as praetor of Sicily from 73 to 71 BC?

When did Augustus visit Sicily and what reforms did he implement regarding taxation and colonization?

Slave Uprisings

The Verres Trial

Augustan Colonies

Latifundia Estates

Faith And Martyrs