Duoviri

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Duoviri or Duumviri (singular duovir and duumvir , German plural "Duumvirn") is the name for the holders of various public offices with two members ("Duumvirat" or "two-man office") in the Roman Empire . Duoviri is the older term; especially in the imperial era they are called duumviri .

In the Roman Republic the collegiality of officials of equal rank was generally preferred, initially mostly the two number, but there were also colleges of three ( tresviri ) , ten ( decemviri ) or fifteen ( quindecimviri ) men.

With regard to function and position, a distinction must be made between the duumvirn of the city of Rome on the one hand and the local administrations in the municipalities or other forms of commune on the other.

Urban Roman Duoviri

These are colleges of two extraordinary magistrates each without an empire with very different functions. Many of these duoviri disappeared during the imperial era. Examples are the

  • Duoviri perduellionis . The oldest of the known colleges was used to persecute the Perduellio (high treason).
  • Duoviri sacris faciundis . Responsible for the Sibylline Books , since 367 BC Replaced by Decemviri.
  • Duoviri agris dandis assignandis . Land Allocation Officials.
  • Duoviri navales . Responsible for equipping and managing the fleet .
  • Duoviri aedi dedicandae, faciundae, locandae . Officials for consecration, edification and establishment of a temple.
  • Duoviri viis purgandis . Officials cleaning the streets.
  • Duoviri aquae perducendae . Water supply officials.

Duoviri in the citizen colonies and municipalities

Since the 4th century BC BC duoviri are documented as the top office of a colonia , a municipium under Roman law and often other civitates . Unless a superior prefect , "state commissioner" or similar official were at the top, the Duumviri formed the city government. The office is to be understood as a copy of the Roman consulate . As duumviri iure dicundo , they also exercised jurisdiction at the lower level and acted as the notarisation authority. They called people's assemblies, chaired the city council ( curia ) and supervised and organized elections to other public offices. They also represented the city legally to the emperor or the governor. Among the duumviri , the elder often had priority of honor, but in principle both had equal rights and could veto each other's measures. They were elected from the decurions for (mostly) one year each. Every five years, two duoviri quinquennales were elected in many cities , who reassigned the vacant places in the city council ( curia ) (according to the activities of the censor for the Roman Senate ).

Before the 1st century BC Chr. Few details have been handed down through the Office for the later period in particular, provides the epigraphy , for example, with the inscription surviving Lex Irnitana , important information. It is until the 5th / 6th Century attested in most of the civitates of the Roman West.

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