official. And in fact special magistrates
were assigned to them, two additional praetors being annually elected for
this purpose. In like manner the Romans in 197 organized the provinces of
Hither and Farther Spain, in 148 the province of Macedonia, in 146 that of
Africa, and in 129 Asia. Subsequent conquests were treated in the same
way. For the Spanish provinces new praetorships were created, "with
consular authority" because of the military importance of their posts. But
for those afterwards organized no new magistracies were added, and the
practice was established of appointing as governor an ex-consul or
ex-praetor with the title of pro-consul or pro-praetor. This method of
appointing provincial governors became, as we shall see, the rule for all
provinces under the republican regime.

*The provincial charter.* Although each province had its own peculiar
features, in general all were organized and administered in the following
way. A provincial charter (_lex provinciae_) drawn up on the ground by a
commission of ten senators and ratified by the Senate fixed the rights and
obligations of the provincials. Each province was an aggregate of
communities (_civitates_), enjoying city or tribal organization, which had
no political bond of unity except in the representative of the Roman
authority. There were three classes of these communities: the free and
federate, the free and non-tributary, and the tributary (_civitates
liberae et foederatae_, _liberae et immunes_, _stipendiariae_). The first
were few in number and although within the borders of a province did not
really belong to it, as they were free allies of Rome whose status was
assured by a permanent treaty with the Roman state. The second class,
likewise not very numerous, enjoyed exemption from taxation by virtue of
the provincial charter, and this privilege the Senate could revoke at
will. The third group was by far the most numerous and furnished the
tribute laid upon the province. As a rule each of the communities enjoyed
its former constitution and laws, subject to the supervision of the Roman
authorities.

*The Roman governor.* Over this aggregate of communities stood the Roman
governor and his staff. We have already seen how the governor was
appointed and what was his rank among the Roman magistrates. His term of
office was regularly for one year, except in the Spanish provinces where a
term of two years was usual. His duties were of a threefold nature:
m