The town gained political status as a self-governing "municipium", maybe as early as 338 BC, but certainly by the middle of the 1st century BC. Citizens of the town were members of the "tribus Clustumina". Cicero's speech in defence of Sextus Roscius Amerinus (the "pro Roscio Amerino") describes as a flourishing place in 80 BC, with a fertile territory extending to the Tiber. Its fruit is often extolled by Roman writers. Augustus divided its lands among his veterans, but did not plant a colony.