Ea erat confession

Latin Learning Latin
1

Orberg in LLPSI has this from Cap XLIV:

Aucta civitate magnitudine urbis, non armis, sed consilio augere imperium conatus est, simul et aliquod addere urbi decus. Iam tum erat inclutum fanum Dianae Ephesi; id communiter a civitatibus Asiae factum fama ferebat. Eum consensum deosque consociatos laudabat Servius inter primores Latinorum, cum quibus publice privatimque hospitia amicitiasque iunxerat. Saepe iterando eadem perpulit tandem ut Romae in Aventino fanum Dianae populi Latini cum populo Romano facerent. Ea erat confessio caput rerum Romam esse, de quo toties armis certatum erat.

The citizens of the city having grown in number, not by arms but by treaty he tried to expand the state, at the same time adding something beautiful to the city…already there had been a beautiful temple of Diana of Ephesus. id communiter a civitatibus Asiae factum fama ferebat … it was reportedly built by a number of Asian cities… literally 'news told that it had been built in common…

2

Yes. I would just change:
-Iam tum erat “there was” rather than “there had been”. This temple is still standing at the time of Servius.

  • same for “fama ferebat”, “the tradition was that” (but maybe “news told” renders this nuance in English, I don’t know)
  • Ephesi may be locative here, “in Ephesus”
  • communiter seems (to me) to suggest that “all” the cities built it not just “a number”.
3

Many thanks.