The duumviri (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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 is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

. Such pairs of

Roman magistrate The Roman magistrates () were elected officials in ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate.Abbott, 8 His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgive ...

s were appointed at various periods of

Roman history The history of Rome includes the history of the Rome, city of Rome as well as the Ancient Rome, civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman la ...

both in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

itself and in the

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

and ''

municipia In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) 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 privileges ...

''. ''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, ...

'', ''

Lex Irnitana The ''lex Irnitana'' consists of fragments of Roman municipal laws dated to AD 91 which had been inscribed on a collection of six bronze tablets found in 1981 near El Saucejo, Spain. Together with the '' Lex Salpensana'' and the '' Lex Malacitana'' ...

'', ''

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. The duumviri were also expected to deal with public finance of a city and with proceedings in the Ordo decurionum (town council) and to run the elections in the

comitium The Comitium () was the original open-air public meeting space of Ancient Rome, and had major religious and prophetic significance. The name comes from the Latin word for "assembly". The Comitium location at the northwest corner of the Roman Foru ...

(assembly). Combined with the

aediles Aedile ( , , 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 enforce public orde ...

, 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) b ...

''.

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 Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning 25 years until the popular uprising that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic.Livy, ''ab urbe condita libri'', wikisource:From_the_ ...

, were officers for the performance of sacrifice, and keeping of the

Sibylline Books The ''Sibylline Books'' () were a collection of oracular utterances, set out in Greek hexameter verses, that, according to tradition, were purchased from a sibyl by the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, and consulted at momentous cri ...

. They were chosen out of the nobility, or ''

patricii The patricians (from ) 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 the Conflict of the Orders (494 BC to 287 B ...

'', 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") refer to official ten-man commissions established by the Roman Republic. The most important were those of the two decemvirates, formally the decemvirate with consular power for writing laws () w ...

sacris faciundis''). That is, in lieu of two persons, the trust was committed to ten—half patricians, half

plebeians In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not Patrician (ancient Rome), patricians, as determined by the Capite censi, census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Et ...

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

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. ''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, , 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 has been suggested that they may have been ...

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

consuls A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

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 i ...

, '' 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

Horatii In the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman legend of the Roman Kingdom, regal period, the Horatii were three sibling warriors, sons of Publius Horatius, who lived during the reign of Tullus Hostilius. The accounts of their Champion warfare, epic clash ...

, for killing his sister after vanquishing the

Curiatii In the ancient Roman legend of the regal period, the Horatii were three sibling warriors, sons of Publius Horatius, who lived during the reign of Tullus Hostilius. The accounts of their epic clash with the Curiatii appear in the writings of ...

. ''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 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'' – 10 magis ...

''. 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

Bibliography

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