Evidence: Local Political Life Flashcards
decuriones, magistrates, comitium
Curia
- The council building
- Located on the south side of the forum in Pompeii
- Unknown location in Herculaneum (it remains undercover courtesy of the Herculaneum FBI)
Magistrates
- 4 men elected from a list of eligible men
- The list was drawn up every five years
2 duumviri - the senior magistrates
- Elected annually in July and served for one year
- Presided over the council and executed its decisions (brutally killing them, I hear reports of blood everywhere after the council made its decision)
- Handled local law cases such as misuse of public funds, robberies, murder
- Administered the census each five years to replace vacancies in the council
- Wore a purple-bordered toga as a mark of status
- Had 2 assistants called lictores who carried the symbols of their office, the fasces or bundles of rods
Aedile
- 2 magistrates elected by the people’s assembly from a census of men of honour and wealth
- Served a year
Role:
- Administration of sacred and public buildings
- Maintenance of roads and sewage systems
- Regulation of markets
- Maintenance of public order
- Expected to provide spectacles (not the type for the visually impaired 🥸🥸) for the people → required money, so only rich people could do this job
The Assembly of Citizens
- The populus
- Composed of free male citizens
- Elected the magistrates and public priests
- An assembly of these free citizens is called a comitium - met in an open building in the south of the forum
- Only met once a year to elect officials
- Was not a democratic assembly and had no other role in government
Priesthoods
- Many magistrates also held priesthoods.
- Augustales - priests involved in Emperor worship
Marble Sculpture of Town Councillors from Pompeii
Archaeological Source
Sculptures of 7 men are all depicted with solemn facial expressions and in formal attire.
Town Council Buildings (Curia) in the Forum of Pompeii
Archaeological Source
The cura is an assembly building used by the Senate for political meetings.
The source shows Pompeii’s curia to be a large, well-developed establishment.
“To Mamia, daughter of Publius Mamius, City Priestess. Gravesite given by decree of the town council (decuriones).”
Archaeolgical Source (but kinda also written)
Tomb inscription of a prominent city priestess, awarded honours by the local decurione council.
“To Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, son of Aulus, tribe Menenia, Duovir of the Colony. The Decuriones voted him a site for his monument, 2000 sesterces for the funeral, and an equestrian statue to be erected in the Forum. Scaurus the Father dedicated this to his son.”
Archaeolgical Source (but kinda also written)
Tomb inscription of a political figure (duovir of his colony).
The source indicates that political affluence and wealth allowed for his monument to be erected in the Forum of Pompeii, including an elaborate funeral and equestrian statue commissioned by his father.
Mamia’s tomb erected by the town council on Herculaneum Road (WHICH IS IN POMPEII).
Archaeolgical Source
Prominent figures, such as a city priestess, have tombs erected by the town council rather than relatives, and in prominent locations.
A wall of Asselina’s Inn used for election notices (programmata) in Pompeii
Archaeological Evidence
This wall is an indicator of how electoral decisions in Pompeii were settled through democracy, and the notices given to the public were essential to win the favour of the common people.
“The inhabitants of the saltworks district recommend M Cerrinius as aedile.”
Written Source (but kinda also archaeological)
This graffiti is an example of programmata in Pompeii.
It shows how the public expresses their opinions of political roles and share it with others. It is also a clear indicator of the public influence on electoral decisions.
“Gaius Julius son of Gaius and Pubilius Aninius son of Gaius, Duoviri, let the contracts for the Turkish Bath and the Robing Room and for the refurbishing of the Portico and the Palaestra, in accordance with a Decree of the Town Council, out of the money which the law requires them to spend for games or public works. The same officials oversaw the construction and inspection.”
Written Source
This is an incription recording the work contracts of the duvoirs for a particular year.
The two aediles of the duovir are Gaius Julius and Pubilius Aninius. The source lists their responsibilities and achievements during their term, providing insight into the responsibilities of the duovir in Pompeii.
Ordo decurion
Political life summary
The Comitium was the assembly of free citizens who met once a year to elect officials for the magistracy
The magistrates included duumviri, aediles, and quinquennials. The quinquennials took the laws made by the duumviri and aediles to the decuriones
The decuriones were ex-magistrate councillors who ran Roman local government and executed decisions
