Vigintisexviratus

 Home| Latíné | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | Magyar | Português | Română | Русский | English

The vigintisexviratus was a college of minor magistrates (magistratus minores) in the Roman Republic; the name literally means "Twenty-Six Men". The college consisted of six boards:

• decemviri stlitibus iudicandis - 10 magistrates who judged lawsuits, including those dealing with whether a man was free or a slave;
• the tresviri capitales, also known as nocturni - three magistrates who had a police function in Rome, in charge of prisons and the execution of criminals;
• the tresviri aere argento auro flando feriundo, also known as tresviri monetales - three magistrates who were in charge of striking and casting bronze, silver and copper (minting coins);
• the quattuorviri viis in urbe purgandis, also known as quattorviri viarum curandarum - four magistrates overseeing road maintenance within the city of Rome;
• the duoviri viis extra urbem purgandis, also known as duoviri curatores viarum - two magistrates overseeing road maintenance near Rome;
• the four praefecti Capuam Cumas - praefecti sent to Capua and Cumae in Campania to administer justice there.

In the Republic, the vigintisexviratus had served as a stepping stone for the sons of senators to begin their own public careers the cursus honorum.

During the Principate, Caesar Augustus abolished the duoviri viis extra urbem purgandis and the four praefecti Capuan Cumas, thereby changing the vigintisexviri into the vigintiviri ("Twenty Men").

See also

• Vigintisexviratus in Nova Roma
• Vigintisexviri overview: a comparison of ancient Roman and Nova Roman vigintisexviri