Contio (Nova Roma)

A contio in ancient times was a public meeting convened by a magistrate. The meeting would be addressed by the magistrate and any other speaker he invited. Contiones would often be held to discuss proposed legislation.

In Nova Roma the term is generally used to refer to a public discussion of proposed legislation, convened by a magistrate prior to a vote. Various leges require fixed periods between the promulgation of a proposal and the beginning of voting. This whole period is often referred to as a single contio, though it would perhaps be more accurate to say that a contio is held on each day of the period since in ancient times a contio never lasted more than a day.

The term contio is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to any period of discussion prior to a vote, for example a debate in the senate or a campaigning period before elections in a sodalitas.