The Duumviri's Reign Of Pompeii

Pompeii, as a typical Roman colony provincial towns, was self-administrating in local matters, but subject to imperial decree from Rome. However, the emperor rarely interfered except where the empire’s security or local order was threatened. After the revolt in the amphitheatre between Pompeians and Nucerians in AD 59 the emperor, Nero, dismissed the two chief magistrates, had two more elected and appointed a law-giving prefect to supervise them. The inhabitants did not rail against such interference and constantly demonstrated their loyalty to the imperial family by constructing dedicatory statues, shrines, arches and buildings. The actual government, the executive body, consisted of two duumviri and two aediles, annually elected by the
During their years of office, the Duumviri wore a toga with a thick purple boarder and would enjoy the best seats at the public games or at the theatre. Because they were endowed with the power to revise the Council Roll, the ‘Quinquennales’ commanded the greatest respect. The annual election of these four magistrates was the comitium’s only function, and the elections did not fail to generate a fair deal of passion and excitement which can be seen in Source A which is showing graffiti of a political matter drawn on a wall to notify the people of Pompeii about the political event occurring. Of the four magistrates, the two aediles were in charge of public buildings, including temples such as the Temple of Isis, which can be seen in source B. The Temple of Isis In Pompeii, only freeborn male citizens over 25 with good moral
The dramatic change from basically independent Samnite town to a Roman colony had of course a great impact on Pompeii’s townscape and the lifestyle of its inhabitants.
The epigraphic evidence suggests that political activity in Pompeii was intense, especially leading up to the elections in March of each year. It appears from the thousands of electoral notices painted on the walls that most people, including women, were politically aware and enthusiastic.
BUILDINGS
The city council met in the lavishly decorated Curia chamber on the southern side of the Forum adjacent to the Comitium (People’s assembly) in the southern-eastern corner. The Comitium was a roofless building where town meetings were held during which the citizens could question the members of the government. The evidence for heavy gates suggests that some meetings might have been quite boisterous. It may also have been used on polling day. On the other side of the Curia was the small Tabularium where all the government. Business was recorded and filed, including tax records. Next door were the offices of the