DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0017
AEDILES.
9
AEDILES.
by the owners or pulled down. The care of
the supply and distribution of water, of the
streets and pavements, with the cleansing
and draining of the city, belonged to the
aediles ; and, of course, the care of the clo-
acae. They had the office of distributing
corn among the plebs, but this distribution
of corn at Eome must not be confounded with
the duty of purchasing or procuring it from
foreign parts, which was performed by the
consuls, quaestors, and praetors, and some-
times by an extraordinary magistrate, as the
praefectus annonae. The aediles had to see
that the public lands were not improperly
used, and that the pasture grounds of the
state were not trespassed on ; and they had
power to punish by fine any unlawful act in
this respect. They had a general superin-
tendence over buying and selling, and, as a
consequence, the supervision of the markets,
of things exposed to sale, such as slaves, and
of weights and measures; from this part of
their duty is derived the name under which
the aediles are mentioned by the Greek wri-
ters (a'-yopawVoi.). It was their business to
see that no new deities or religious rites were
introduced into the city, to look after the
observance of religious ceremonies, and the
celebrations of the ancient feasts and festivals.
The general superintendence of police com-
prehended the duty of preserving order,
regard to decency, and the inspection of the
baths and houses of entertainment. The
aediles had various officers under them, as
praecones, scribae, and viatores. The Aediles
Curules, who were also two in number, were
originally chosen only from the patricians,
afterwards alternately from the patricians and
the plebs, and at last indifferently from both.
The office of curule aediles was instituted
b. c. 365, and, according to Livy, on the
occasion of the plebeian aediles refusing to
consent to celebrate the Ludi Maximi for the
space of four days instead of three ; upon
which a senatus-consultum was passed, by
which two aediles were to be chosen from the
patricians. From this time four aediles, two
plebeian and two curule, were annually elected.
The distinctive honours of the curule aediles
were, the sella curulis, from whence their
title is derived, the toga praetexta, precedence
in speaking in the senate, and the jus ima-
ginum. Only the curule aediles had the jus
edicendi, or the right of promulgating edicta ;
but the rules comprised in their edicta served
for the guidance of all the aediles. The
edicta of the curule aediles were founded on
their authority as superintendents of the mar-
kets, and of buying and selling in general.
Accordingly, their edicts had mainly, or per-
haps solely; reference to the rules as to buy-
ing and selling, and contracts for bargain and
sale. The persons both of the plebeian and
curule aediles were sacrosancti. It seems
that after the appointment of the curule
aediles, the functions formerly exercised by
the plebeian aediles were exercised, with some
few exceptions, by all the aediles indifferently.
Within five days after being elected, or en-
tering on office, they were required to deter-
mine by lot, or by agreement among them-
selves, what parts of the city each should
take under his superintendence ; and each
aedile alone had the care of looking after the
paving and cleansing of the streets, and other
matters, it may be presumed, of the same
local character within his district. The other
duties of the office seem to have been exercised
by them jointly. In the superintendence of
the public festivals or solemnities, there was
a further distinction between the two sets of
aediles. Many of these festivals, such as
those of Flora and Ceres, were superintended
by either set of aediles indifferently ; but the
plebeian games were under the superintend-
ence of the plebeian aediles, who had an allow-
ance of money for that purpose ; and the fines
levied on the pecuarii, and others, seem to
have been appropriated to these among other
public purposes. The celebration of the
Ludi Magni or Komani, of the Ludi Scenici,
or dramatic representations, and the Ludi
Megalesii, belonged specially to the curule
aediles, and it was on such occasions that
they often incurred a prodigious expense,
with a view of pleasing the people, and
securing their votes in future elections. This
extravagant expenditure of the aediles arose
after the close of the second Punic war, and
increased with the opportunities which indi-
viduals had of enriching themselves after the
Roman arms were carried into Greece, Africa,
and Spain. Even the prodigality of the em-
perors hardly surpassed that of individual
curule aediles under the republic ; such as C.
Julius Caesar", the dictator, P. Cornelius Len-
tulus Spinther, and, above all, M. Aemilius
Scaurus, whose expenditure was not limited
to bare show, but comprehended objects of
public utility, as the reparation of walls,
dock-yards, ports, and aquaeducts. In b. c.
45, Julius Caesar caused two curule aediles
and four plebeian aediles to he elected ; and
thenceforward, at least so long as the office of
aedile was of any importance, six aediles were
annually elected. The two new plebeian
aediles were called Cereales, and their duty
was to look after the supply of corn. Though
their office may not have been of any great
importance after the institution of a praefectus
annonae by Augustus, there is no doubt that
it existed for several centuries, and at least as
9
AEDILES.
by the owners or pulled down. The care of
the supply and distribution of water, of the
streets and pavements, with the cleansing
and draining of the city, belonged to the
aediles ; and, of course, the care of the clo-
acae. They had the office of distributing
corn among the plebs, but this distribution
of corn at Eome must not be confounded with
the duty of purchasing or procuring it from
foreign parts, which was performed by the
consuls, quaestors, and praetors, and some-
times by an extraordinary magistrate, as the
praefectus annonae. The aediles had to see
that the public lands were not improperly
used, and that the pasture grounds of the
state were not trespassed on ; and they had
power to punish by fine any unlawful act in
this respect. They had a general superin-
tendence over buying and selling, and, as a
consequence, the supervision of the markets,
of things exposed to sale, such as slaves, and
of weights and measures; from this part of
their duty is derived the name under which
the aediles are mentioned by the Greek wri-
ters (a'-yopawVoi.). It was their business to
see that no new deities or religious rites were
introduced into the city, to look after the
observance of religious ceremonies, and the
celebrations of the ancient feasts and festivals.
The general superintendence of police com-
prehended the duty of preserving order,
regard to decency, and the inspection of the
baths and houses of entertainment. The
aediles had various officers under them, as
praecones, scribae, and viatores. The Aediles
Curules, who were also two in number, were
originally chosen only from the patricians,
afterwards alternately from the patricians and
the plebs, and at last indifferently from both.
The office of curule aediles was instituted
b. c. 365, and, according to Livy, on the
occasion of the plebeian aediles refusing to
consent to celebrate the Ludi Maximi for the
space of four days instead of three ; upon
which a senatus-consultum was passed, by
which two aediles were to be chosen from the
patricians. From this time four aediles, two
plebeian and two curule, were annually elected.
The distinctive honours of the curule aediles
were, the sella curulis, from whence their
title is derived, the toga praetexta, precedence
in speaking in the senate, and the jus ima-
ginum. Only the curule aediles had the jus
edicendi, or the right of promulgating edicta ;
but the rules comprised in their edicta served
for the guidance of all the aediles. The
edicta of the curule aediles were founded on
their authority as superintendents of the mar-
kets, and of buying and selling in general.
Accordingly, their edicts had mainly, or per-
haps solely; reference to the rules as to buy-
ing and selling, and contracts for bargain and
sale. The persons both of the plebeian and
curule aediles were sacrosancti. It seems
that after the appointment of the curule
aediles, the functions formerly exercised by
the plebeian aediles were exercised, with some
few exceptions, by all the aediles indifferently.
Within five days after being elected, or en-
tering on office, they were required to deter-
mine by lot, or by agreement among them-
selves, what parts of the city each should
take under his superintendence ; and each
aedile alone had the care of looking after the
paving and cleansing of the streets, and other
matters, it may be presumed, of the same
local character within his district. The other
duties of the office seem to have been exercised
by them jointly. In the superintendence of
the public festivals or solemnities, there was
a further distinction between the two sets of
aediles. Many of these festivals, such as
those of Flora and Ceres, were superintended
by either set of aediles indifferently ; but the
plebeian games were under the superintend-
ence of the plebeian aediles, who had an allow-
ance of money for that purpose ; and the fines
levied on the pecuarii, and others, seem to
have been appropriated to these among other
public purposes. The celebration of the
Ludi Magni or Komani, of the Ludi Scenici,
or dramatic representations, and the Ludi
Megalesii, belonged specially to the curule
aediles, and it was on such occasions that
they often incurred a prodigious expense,
with a view of pleasing the people, and
securing their votes in future elections. This
extravagant expenditure of the aediles arose
after the close of the second Punic war, and
increased with the opportunities which indi-
viduals had of enriching themselves after the
Roman arms were carried into Greece, Africa,
and Spain. Even the prodigality of the em-
perors hardly surpassed that of individual
curule aediles under the republic ; such as C.
Julius Caesar", the dictator, P. Cornelius Len-
tulus Spinther, and, above all, M. Aemilius
Scaurus, whose expenditure was not limited
to bare show, but comprehended objects of
public utility, as the reparation of walls,
dock-yards, ports, and aquaeducts. In b. c.
45, Julius Caesar caused two curule aediles
and four plebeian aediles to he elected ; and
thenceforward, at least so long as the office of
aedile was of any importance, six aediles were
annually elected. The two new plebeian
aediles were called Cereales, and their duty
was to look after the supply of corn. Though
their office may not have been of any great
importance after the institution of a praefectus
annonae by Augustus, there is no doubt that
it existed for several centuries, and at least as