The duumviri (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "two men"), originally duoviri and also known in English as the duumvirs, were any of various joint magistrates of

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. Such pairs of magistrates were appointed at various periods of Roman history both in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

itself and in the

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

and ''

municipia In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privil ...

''. ''Duumviri iuri'' or ''iure dicundo'' were the highest judicial magistrates in the cities of Italy and its provinces. Their chief duties were concerned with the administration of justice. The activities of these individuals are described in the local statutes such as ''

Lex Julia A ''lex Julia'' (plural: ''leges Juliae'') was an ancient Roman law that was introduced by any member of the gens Julia. Most often, "Julian laws", ''lex Julia'' or ''leges Juliae'' refer to moral legislation introduced by Augustus in 23 BC, o ...

'', '' Lex Irnitana'', ''

Lex Malacitana ''Lex Malacitana'' or ''Lex Flavia Malacitana'' (" Flavian law of Malaca") is a bronze tablet bearing Latin local statutes which deal with the official activities of the ''duoviri iuri dicundo''. The tablet was found in the 20th century near Mal ...

'', ''Lex Rubria'', ''Lex Coloniae'', and ''Genetivae Iuliae''. The office was determined by election and lasted one year. They were also expected to deal with public finance of a city, deal with proceedings in the Ordo decurionum, the town council, and run the elections in the comitium or assembly. Combined with the ''

aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to ...

s'', they formed the ''quattuorviri'', a board of four officials. It was often the case that the emperor was elected as one ''duumvir'' and the other position was left up to the emperor for the appointment of a ''

praefectus ''Praefectus'', often with a further qualification, was the formal title of many, fairly low to high-ranking, military or civil officials in the Roman Empire, whose authority was not embodied in their person (as it was with elected Magistrates) but ...

''.

Nature of the office

''Duumviri quinquennales'' were also municipal officers, not to be confused with the above, who were elected every fifth year for one year to exercise the function of the censorship which was in abeyance for the intervening four years. ''Duumviri sacrorum'', which were created by Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, were officers for the performance of sacrifice, and keeping of the Sibylline Books. They were chosen out of the nobility, or ''

patricii The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...

'', and held their office for life. They were exempted from serving in war, and from the offices imposed on the other citizens. Without them, the oracles of the Sybils could not be consulted. The commission held until the year 388 BC, when, at the request of C. Licinius and L. Sexius, tribunes of the people, they were increased to ten (''

decemviri The decemviri or decemvirs (Latin for "ten men") were some of the several 10-man commissions established by the Roman Republic. The most important were those of the two Decemvirates, formally the " decemvirate with consular power for writing ...

sacris faciundis''). That is, in lieu of two persons, the trust was committed to ten—half patricians, half plebeians. Sulla added five to their number, for a total of fifteen (''

quindecimviri sacris faciundis In ancient Rome, the were the fifteen () members of a college (''collegium'') with priestly duties. They guarded the Sibylline Books, scriptures which they consulted and interpreted at the request of the Senate. This ''collegium'' also oversaw ...

''). Afterwards, their body was greatly increased, and at length amounted to sixty; yet still retained the denomination of ''quindecimviri''. They were entirely abolished under Emperor

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

. ''Duumviri aedi dedicandae'' were magistrates who, by way of a decree of the senate, performed the dedication of an area planned for the construction of a temple, or a temple already constructed, to a deity. Such an individual might be appointed to dedicate a temple that had been constructed at the expense of another magistrate who was no longer in office. ''Duumviri aedi locandae'' were originally officers specially appointed to supervise the erection of a temple, if a higher magistrate such as a consul, praetor, or censor, was not managing it. These were sometimes the same as the ''duumviri aedi dedicandae''. ''

Duumviri navales The Duumviri navales, literally two men dealing with naval matters, were two naval officers elected by the people of Rome to repair and equip the Roman fleet. Both Duumviri navales were assigned to one Roman consul, and each controlled 20 ships. It ...

'', extraordinary officers appointed ad hoc for the equipping of a fleet. Originally chosen by

consuls A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...

s, they were elected by the people after 311 BC (

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

, '' AUC'' ix. 30; xl. 18; xli. I). The ''capital'' duumviri, ''duumviri perduellionis'', were not ordinary magistrates, but created on certain occurrences. They were the earliest criminal court for trying cases of ''perduellio'' (high treason). They continued to be appointed under the Republic, with the last mention in 63 BC; however, since the mid-3rd century BC, plebeian tribunes are known to have taken up such cases. The first duumviri of this kind were those appointed to judge the surviving Horatius, for killing his sister after vanquishing the

Curiatii In the ancient Roman legend of the kingdom era, the Horatii were triplet warriors who lived during the reign of Tullus Hostilius. The accounts of their epic clash with the Curiatii and the murder of their sister by Publius, the sole survivor ...

. ''Duumviri viis extra urbem purgandis'' were subordinate officers under the aediles, whose duty it was to look after those streets of Rome which were outside the city walls. They were members of the group of ''

vigintisexviri __NOTOC__The ''vigintisexviri'' ( ''vigintisexvir''; ) were a college ( ''collegium'') of minor magistrates (''magistratus minores'') in the Roman Republic. The college consisted of six boards: * the ''decemviri stlitibus judicandis'' – 1 ...

''. Apparently in 20 BC, certainly by 12 BC, their duties were transferred to the ''curatores viarum''. From at least as early as 45 BC (cf. the ''Lex Julia''), the streets of the city were superintended by ''quattuorviri viis in urbe purgandis'', later called ''quattuorviri viarum purgandarum''.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* *Berger, Adolf (2002).
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law
'. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. . p 446. * * {{Italic title Roman law Latin political words and phrases Ancient Roman titles