Augustus carried out an administrative reorganisation of the empire as a whole and of the province of Sicily in particular. A number of
coloniae were established by Augustus for his veterans on Sicily, but the exact chronology is unclear. We know for certain that the first measures were taken in 36 BC, when Tauromenium was made into a
colonia.
[55] Subsequently, Augustus visited Sicily in 22 or 21 BC, the first stop on a journey through the empire, and other reforms were carried out. At the end of the process, six Sicilian cities had become
coloniae: Syracuse, Tauromenium, Panormus, Catania, Tyndaris, and Thermae Himerenses. The influx of population represented by these foundations may have been intended to compensate for a demographic slump resulting from the war with Sextus Pompey, or from Augustus' excoriation of the island after his victory.
[56] It is not clear what happened to the existing Greek inhabitants of these cities as normally the citizens of
coloniae had
Roman citizenship and could therefore participate in the highest levels of the Roman state. It may be that these privileges were restricted to the aristocracy.
[57] In any case, the influx of Italian veterans played a decisive role in the diffusion of Latin language in Sicily.
[55