Tribe (Nova Roma)

Contents 1 Introduction 2 The Voting Tribes 2.1 The Urban Tribes 2.2 The Rural Tribes 2.3 Tribal Officers 3 The Old Ceremonial Tribes

Introduction

Tribes are the voting blocks of the comitia populi tributa and comitia plebis tributa. Every citizen of Nova Roma is placed into two different tribes, predominantly determined by tax-payment status. There are a total of 22 tribes.

The leges that govern the tribal framework were implemented to make the social order of Nova Roma as Roman as possible under our modern circumstances, returning to the best and most classical practices of our ancestors, and regulating the centuries and tribes of the Nova Roman people in a manner that is most practical and most traditional at the same time. See the Lex Arria Tullia de classibus et centuriis et de tribubus novis for detailed information.

The Voting Tribes

Of the 22 tribes, 19 of them are used for voting. Upon obtaining citizenship or due to a change in tax-paying (assiduus) status, censors allocate citizens to either one of a small number of "urban" tribes or to one of the many "rural" tribes.

Tribes in Nova Roma are numbered, the first four being the urban tribes, but this has no further significance. Citizens in the rural tribes have more voting weight, as rural tribes have less citizens in them; therefore, each citizen's individual vote carries a greater weight.

Following Roman traditions and practices, when the tribal assembly of the people of Nova Roma, the comitia populi tributa and comitia plebis tributa are called to vote, each citizen's vote is counted only within one's tribe. The overall result within a single tribe determines the vote of that tribe, and it's the vote of each tribe that is counted when calculating the results of the voting. See Article II.C.3. of the Lex Tullia de comitiis habendis for more information.

The Urban Tribes

The four urban tribes, are reserved for all non-paying (proletarius or capite census) citizens. These four tribes will contain the masses of inactive or disappeared citizens. They are named:

I. Suburana,

II. Palatina,

III. Esquilina, and

IV. Collina.

The Rural Tribes

There are 15 rural tribes of Nova Roma which are based on the 15 oldest Roman rural tribes. All tax-payer (assiduus) citizens are distributed among them.

V. Romilia,

VI. Voltinia,

VII. Voturia,

VIII. Aemilia,

IX. Horatia,

X. Lemonia,

XI. Papiria,

XII. Pupinia,

XIII. Menenia,

XIV. Cornelia,

XV. Camilia,

XVI. Fabia,

XVII. Pollia,

XVIII. Sergia, and

XIX. Galeria.

Tribal Officers

Each tribe shall have a varying number of officers, some automatic and others by election.

• Tribunus Aerarius

One or more tribuni aerarii may exist, which is an office automatically given to all citizens within the tribe who bear the rank of tribunus aerarius equestris.

The duty of the tribuni aerarii is to encourage citizens to pay their Nova Roman taxes and potentially to help those who cannot pay by donating to them or finding another donor who would help them. Donating or finding a donor is not a mandatory duty, but only an encouraged activity. The term of the office of a tribunus aerarius depends on the maintenance of their status as tribunus aerarius equestris. The census points given to the tribuni aerarii for the status as tribuni aerarii equestres shall be the reward for their work.

• Curator Tribus

There is one curator tribus who is elected by a vote of the allocated equites and the tribuni aerarii of the tribe, from among the equites and tribuni aerarii equestres of the tribe.

The duty of the curator tribus is to direct, review, encourage, support, and in case of need, to substitute, the work of the tribuni aerarii, and to help the citizens within the tribe who need representation or help getting in touch with the officials of the republic. The term of office of the curatores tribuum is not limited to time, but their work is monitored and reviewed by the three tribuni of the old tribes. The curatores lose their position if they lose their equestrian, treasury tribune equestrian, or their assiduus status. The curatores tribuum are awarded service points under III.A.7.f of the Lex Arria de censu civium aestimando, “officers of recognized corporations”, falling in the “president” category, receiving 6 CP, but they shall not receive Past Service Points for more than one year, and these Past Service Points shall be given only if they no longer hold the office.

The Old Ceremonial Tribes

All Nova Roma citizens will also be allocated to one of three special ceremonial tribes. The censores shall distribute all citizens by gentes into the three original tribes of the Roman people. All members of the same Nova Roman gens shall belong to one tribe.

Within each ceremonial tribus, the censores shall divide the gentes into ten curiae; all members of the same gens within one ceremonial tribe gens shall belong to the same curia. Each curiae shall celebrate the sacra of the curia together and the primary role of all curiae shall be the fostering of community and helping the social practice of the religio Romana and the cultus of the Roman gods. See the Lex Arria de veteribus tribubus et curiis for more information.

The ceremonial tribes are:

• I. Ramnes

All citizens with a gentes of Latin origin are allocated to the Ramnes tribe, or those gentes which were established in the first year of Nova Roma.

• II. Tities

All citizens with a gentes of Sabine origin are allocated to the Tities tribe, or those gentes which were established until the Completion of the Founding of Nova Roma.

• III. Luceres

All citizens with a gentes of Etruscan origin are allocated to the Luceres tribe, or those gentes of the third decade or later.