Ricerc@Sapienza

The term communalis is only attested in the Gromatici Veteres texts and in two Latin inscriptions, only referring to Etruria. It was used by land surveyors to refer to the lands of the Etruscan rural village, mostly forests and grass lands, which would have kept the original legal status, characterized by a common sharing, even after the Roman colonization, as they were not affected by centuriation because of their utility for the community. This usage of communalis offers new ground to reopen the discussion on the meaning of the Etruscan word muni-. Its approximate translation with «common» could apply to a variety of contexts and contribute explaining, for instance, why muni are special places inside the tombs where vases were collected, or suburban lands where family tombs could be built. This meaning could further shed new light in the special context of the cippus of Perugia, where, if appropriate, it contributes locating the question of the two landowners in a «common» ground.