Organization of the town of Rome
The organization of the town of Rome varied during the history of the ancient Rome while following the institutional evolutions which initially brought the transformation of the Roman République into a empire of inspiration liberal who little by little during the centuries slipped towards a Dictature.
The town of Rome preserved nevertheless a particular status, single, and specific magistrates who were made necessary by the importance symbolic system and policy of the republican city, and then by the demographic importance of the capital of an immense State.
General information on the evolution of the organization of Rome
The City under the Republic
General characters of the organization
Under the République the town of Rome has any clean institution, no specific municipal organization: it is the Republic, and its institutions are those of the latter.Administratively speaking, the city is divided since Servius Tullius into four areas: regio Suburana , regio Esquillina , regio Collina , regio Palatina , its territory is locked up by the Mur of Servius Tullius. This division is more theoretical than practical puiqu' it is necessary to await -494 to see appearing magistrates dealing with the city.
“Municipal” magistrates
The exact distribution of competences between the municipal officials and the critics is not very clear today still, it is possible that the municipal officials exerted some their functions only in the abscence of the critics.
Municipal officials
See also: Municipal official
The municipal officials are the only republican magistrates whose principal occupation is the maintenance and the control of the town of Rome. They are created in -494, but acquire only gradually their municipal functions (in the beginning they are assistants of the powerful orators of the plebs).
In -365 the Sénat institutes the curule municipal officials, selected among the patricians, thus giving a more official character to this magistrature. The evolution is supplemented in -45 by the cereal municipal officials charged exclusively with the corn supply of Rome (as well the corn frumentaire for the distribution instituted by the laws of the Gracques as of the open markets).
There are thus under the République four municipal officials: two plebeian and two patricians (them curule ). Their tasks many, and are very varied: that goes from the maintenance of the temples, of the sewers to the distribution of the corn annonaire while passing by the control of the religious ceremonies and the gods introduced into the Pomœrium. Five days after their election the municipal officials were distributed the four areas of Rome which they managed then. At the end of the period républiciane there are six municipal officials: two plebeian and four patricians.
Critics
See also: Critic
In -443 are created the critics. They have the load of the administration of the public purses, and for this reason it is them which award to the contractors ( mancipes , conductores ) the contracts of repair of the public buildings, and they also have the responsibility for public works as well as maintenance of the buildings, which they carry out with a budget voted by the Sénat.
Magistrates appointed with the supply of the city
Religious municipal functions
To replace the consuls at the time of the Latin Festivals ( Feriae latinae , during which they went away from Rome for approximately four days, going to the Mont Albain) it charged inherited the royalty with præfectus urbi or custos urbi (meaning in Latin prefect of the city or guard of the city ) was maintained. It would seem that the term prefect of the city was used only after the period of the Decemviri. It is advisable not to confuse this prefect of the city and the Préfet of the City created by Auguste to supervise the administration of the city of Rome: if their names are identical their functions has nothing any more to see.The prefect of the east city elected by the curies starting from -487, and after the Decemviri it is of row consular. At the beginning of the Roman République it seems that he had the totality of the consular capacities: convocation of the Senate, presidency of the Comices curiates, command of the legions in time of war. Thereafter it was nothing any more but one honorary load, often given to people who did not have the age to be senators.
The imperial City
Under the Empire the administration of the town of Rome is gradually withdrawn with the Sénat and the magistrates elected to pass to the hands of the Empereur. Auguste was the initiator of a stable and viable administration which was to make it possible to correctly manage the capital of an immense State.Thus form slowly the central administration takes whose development will be continuous during the Empire.
The reform augustéenne
Auguste innovates in municipal management for several reasons: initially it wishes to make more efficient the urban administration in order to guarantee public peace and safety, then, in particular after the plot of Egnatius Rufus it prefers to have the control of all that could give popularity to a Senator, like the distribution of corn.
The general organization of the city
Urban areas
Concerning the general organization of Rome it redécoupa in -7 its territory in fourteen numbered areas ( regiones urbi - confer) which exceeded the Pomœrium in order to extend the scope of the various municipal magistrates to all Roman urban fabric.
With the head of each regio is an annual magistrate (drawn with the fate among the praetors, powerful orators of the plebs and municipal officials) who manages in addition to his normal task part of Rome. This measurement made it possible to safeguard republican appearances in the administration of the city. The chiefs of areas had an administrative authority and nun: they supervised their areas, authorized constructions of the vaults, controlled constructions, and carried out the sacrifices which had with the gods.
However this reform was a failure: never the magistrates having charges an area with it did not deal with close to the businesses to this one; they regarded their municipal load as a purely honorary load, more especially as in the facts the chief of area hardly had capacities.
Districts
Each regio is in addition subdivided in several districts, called in Latin vicus . At their head a college of four men is placed, the magistri or vicomagistri , recruited by the Préfet of the City in the name of the emperor among the basic free men condition, or freed. They enter in load it.Just like the magistrates in load of an area, who were their superiors and exerted a control on them, the magistri have at the same time an administrative office and religious; they are assisted by ministri in their tasks. However it seems that very often the religious side took the step on the administration (all inscriptions which we have that the vicomagistri treat religious affairs). They were to thus take care of the maintenance of the vaults, with the celebration of certain religious holidays (with the gods Lares or the Genius of the emperor). We thus have trace of the presidency of the plays of the compitalia .
They had some attribution in addition relating to public peace: collaboration with the prefect of the Vigils, maintenance of law and order. They control the local store in addition, and represent their district near the authorities.
New civils servant proceeding of the prince
Little by little during its reign, Auguste will take under his control the municipal functions, without never for autaut removing the republican magistrates whom he stripped thus. He does not have acts according to a plan determined in advance but rather according to the events, while following however a general idea, that to control the most agitated city Empire.
The supply of the city
The first grinding of the function
At the time of the first foundation of the Principat (on the couple permanent consulate de facto and proconsulat crushing) there is no attribution relating to the supply of the capital, which is left to the weak cereal municipal officials created by Jules César. However such an important task claimed a of the same authority importance, a strong official intervention. The cereal municipal officials did not have the scale of such a load.Thus in -23 a famine bursts with Rome. The Roman Senate and the people make pressure on Auguste so that it agrees to deal with the corn supply of the city, which it accepts. It is the first competence which it withdraws with the republican magistrates.
It thus takes the control of the supply, or cleaned annonae . Initially (until worms the year 8 of our era) it is satisfied to extremely modestly hold the capacity and not the title related to this capacity. It thus makes draw with the fate among the highest senators in the hierarchy from the Sénat two curatores frumenti (in the singular curator ) who bear the same name as the officials republican in charge of this task, appointed for one year - what respects the principles of collegial structure and yearly recurrence. They lay out civils servant to assist them ( scribae , præcones , accensi ) and if they are consular, of Licteurs. Auguste seeks to compare them to the véritales magistrates of the Roman République.
The second grinding: an exclusively imperial civil servant
A new famine bursts however in 8, proof of the maladjustment of the curatores frumendi with the importance of their task.
Various trusteeships
In -20 the maintenance of the streets is entrusted at a commission of consular senators, the curatores viarum , named by the prince. In -11 it is the maintenance of the aqueducts and the sources which passes under the influence of the emperor with the creation of the curatores aquarum , having with the beginning of a personnel of two hundred and forty private slaves Auguste.
Evolution of the municipal organization
Administration of Rome at the end of the 4th century
Various municipal services
The army with the service of the city and the state
The protection of the emperor
The defense of the city
The maintenance of public peace
The fire control
The Vigiles Urbani, created under the republic fight against the fires and they are also, during certain time, occupied of police force.
The construction and maintenance of the buildings
See too
Sources
Related articles
Bonds on the history
Bonds on the institutions
External bonds
Category: Ancient Rome
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