Censimenti romani e demografia: ritorno alle fonti

In this essay I submit to a renewed analysis the main literary and epigraphic testimonies helpful to illuminate some central aspects in the modern debate on the demography of Roman Italy, such as the position of cives sine suffragio in the count of civium capita, the demographic conditions of the peninsula during the Gracchan age, the decentralization of the census procedures. The conclusions reached allow to frame the figures of the censuses carried out between the fourth and first century BC within a line of demographic development consistent with that postulated by the 'low count'.

本文中，笔者将重新分析有助于阐明当代罗马意大利人口统计学争论中若干核心议题的主要文学与铭文史料（epigraphic testimonies），具体包括无投票权公民（cives sine suffragio）在公民人头数（civium capita）统计中的地位、格拉古时代（Gracchan age）意大利半岛的人口状况，以及人口普查程序的分权化特征。本文所得结论可将公元前4世纪至公元前1世纪间开展的历次人口普查数据，纳入与“低计数论”（low count）所提出的人口发展轨迹相符的分析框架之中。