Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

.30 AGER. AGER.
they were called Subruncivi. The limites parallel barriers. Tle boundaries of the territory were
to the cardo were drawn in the same way. marked by termini, which received their names
The Roman measure of length used for land under the empire from the emperor who gave' the
was the actus of 120 feet: the square actus was commission for partitioning the llad. Accordingly,
14,400 square feet; and a juger or jugerlm was we find the expressions Lapides Augtstales, Tibetwo actus quadrati. The word centuria properly riani, and so forth, mentioned as the termini fixed
means a hundred of any thing. The reason of by these emperors for the boundaries of the colonies
the term centuria being applied to these divi- which they founded. The Termini Territoriales
sions may be, that the plebeian centuries contained marked the limits of the district, the Pleurici
100 actus, which is 50 jugera, the amount con- ran parallel to the Decumani and Cardines, the
tained in the portions put up to sale by the quaes.- Actuarii Centuriales were at the angles of the
tors: but Siculus Flaccus (p. 15, ed. Goes.) gives centuriae, the Epipeclonici in the centre of the
a different account. The centuria sometimes con- centuriae, the Proportionales at the beginning and
tained 200 jugera, and in later periods 240 and end of the jugera. The boundaries of a property
400. This division into centuriae only compre- were also marked by termini; and the owner of
hended the cultivable land. When a colony was a property might place termini within it to mark
founded or a tract of land was d;vided, that part the pieces into which he divided it for his chilwhich did not consist of arable land was the colll- dren.
mon property of the colony or settlement; and was The termini were either posts of wood or stones.
-used as pasture. Snch tracts appear to be the In the colonies of Augustus, the boundaries of the
Compascuus Ager of the Lex Thoria (c. 4, &c.). centuriae were marked by stones; those of the
The land that was thus limited, would often have several allotments by oak posts (termini robusti,
an irregular boundary, and thus many centuries pali roborei.) Sometimes pali actuarii are menwould be incomplete. Such pieces were called tioned, from which it appears that the boundaries of
Subseciva, and were sometimes granted to the the centuriae were sometimes determined by wooden
colony or community, and sometimes reserved to the posts. The stones used in a particular limitatio
state. That such portions existed in some quantity were of the same kind and colour in order to make
in Italy is shown by the fact of Vespasian and Titus them more useful as boundary stones. The stones
making sales of them, and Domitian is said to were either polished (politi, dolati) or rough hewn
have restored them to the possessors. (taxati a ferro), or in their entire rough state. The
A plan of each tract of limited land was engraved size varied from half a foot to two and a half feet,
on metal (aes), and deposited in the tabularium. and the larger might sometimes be mistaken by
This plan (forma) showed all the limites or cen- ignorant people for mile stones. The form of the
turiae, and was a permanent record of the original stones also varied, as we see from the representations
limitation. Descriptions also accompanied the plan, contained of them in the MSS. of the Agrimensores.
which mentioned the portions that belonged to dif- The number of angles varied in those which were
ferent individuals, and other particulars. (Siculus angular: some were cylindrical, some pointed, others
Flaccus, De Divis. et Assig. ed. Goes., p. 16; and of a pyramidal form. The head stones at the bethe passages collected by Brissonius, Select, e Jur. ginning and end of a boundary were more conCivil. iii. c. 5.) Some of these records, which be- spicuous than those which lay between them. Inlong to an early period of Roman history, are men- seriptions and marks were also put on the termini.
tioned by Siculus Flaccus, as existing when he The termini on the boundaries of the limited land
wrote (p. 24. ed. Goes.). These registered plans have often considerable inscriptions; the centurial
were the best evidence of the original division and pleurite termini give the number of the century
of the lands, and if disputes could not be settled and the name of the limes. Various kinds of
otherwise, it was necessary to refer to them. marks were also devised to facilitate the ascertainAs to the marks by which boundaries were dis- ing of boundaries without the trouble of referring
tinguished, they were different in the case of Ager to the plan.
Arcifinius and Ager Limitatus. In the case of These precautions were notllI. A stone might be
Ager Arcifinius, the boundaries were either natural removed and a boundary might thus become un.
or artificial, as mountain ridges, roads, water sheds, certain. It was accordingly the practice to bury
rocks, hills, ramparts of earth, walls of rubble, and something under the stone that was not perishable,
so forth: rivers, brooks, ditches and water conduits as bones, embers and ashes from the offering made
rwere also used as boundaries. Marks were also at the time when the stone was set up. Small
lmade on rocks, and trees were planted for this coins were also put under it, and firaments of glass,
purpose, or were left standing (arbores intactae, pottery, and the likes which would serve to deterantemissae). Trees were often marked: those mine the place of the stone, The same practice is
which were the common property of two land- enjoinedbythe laws of Mann (viii. 249, 250, 251),
owners were marked on both sides; and those a fact noticed by Dureau de la MalPe. On the introwhich belonged to a single proprietor were marked duction of Christianity, the practice of making such
on the side which was turned from the proprietor's offerings was discontinued, and this kind of evidence
land (arbores insignes, sigatae,notatae). Bycutting was lost. Under the old religion i:t was also the
off a piece of the bark, a scar would be formed practice to traverse the boundaries at the terminalia,
which would answer as a signum. In angles, such in the month of February. In tle case of the
as a trifinium or quadrifinium, more special boundary territorial boundaries, this was done by the whole
marks were used, for instance, at a trifinium three community; and pursuant to this old custom, the
trees would be planted. Taps, or pieces of wood, boundaries of the original territory of Rome, six
lead and iron, were also inserted in trees to point miles from the city, were traversed at the terminalia.
to some piece of water as the nearest boundary. Private persons also examined their boundaries at
The Ager Limitatus was marked in a different the terminalia, and the usual offerings were made.,way by boundary stones and posts, not -by natural The parish perambulations and other perambula