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CURATO´RES

CURATO´RES were public officers of various kinds under the Roman empire, several of whom were first established by Augustus. (Suet. Aug. 37.) The most important of them were as follow:--

1. CURATORES ALVEI ET RIPARUM ET CLOACARUM, who had the charge of the navigation of the Tiber. The duties of their office may be gathered from Ulpian (Dig. 43, tit. 15). It was reckoned very honourable, the office being always held by consulars, and the persons who filled it received afterwards the title of comites. (Cf. C. I. L. i. p. 180; Wilmanns, Inscr. Lat. No. 846, 849, 850, &c.)

2. CURATORES ANNONAE, who purchased corn and oil for the state, and sold it again at a small price among the poorer citizens. They were also called curatores emendi frumenti et olei, and σιτῶναι and ἐλαιῶναι. (Dig. 50, tit. 5, s. 18.5.) Their office belonged to the personalia munera; that is, it did not require any expenditure of a person's private property: but the curatores received from the state a sufficient [p. 1.576]sum of money to purchase the required amount. (Dig. 50, tit. 8, s. 9.5.) The title appears on incriptions either as curator frumenti comparandi in annonam urbis (Wilmanns, 1252), or once as frumenti curator ex s. c., which appears to have been a special case (ib. 1113). A more common title is praefecti frumenti dandi (q. v.); but cp. Frontin. de Aquaed. 101, curatores frumenti.

3. CURATORES AQUARUM. [AQUAEDUCTUS]

4. CURATORES KALENDARII, who had the care in municipal towns of the kalendaria; that is, the books which contained the names of the persons to whom public money, which was not wanted for the ordinary expenses of the town, was lent on interest. The office belonged to the personalia munera. (Dig. 50, tit. 4, s. 18.2; tit. 8, s. 9.7; Heinecc. Antiq. Rom. 3.15.4.) These officers are mentioned in inscriptions found in municipal towns, e. g. at Praeneste (Wilmanns, 1798, 1799), Corfinium (ib. 2062), Arretium (ib. 2093), &c.

5. CURATORES LUDORUM, who had the care of the public games as special commissioners (Mommsen, Röm. Staatsr. ii.2 910). Marquardt thinks that the curatores munerum were ordinary, and not specially appointed officials (Röm. Staatsverw. 3.467). Persons of rank appear to have been usually appointed to this office. (Tac. Ann. 11.35, 13.22; Suet. Cal. 27.) In inscriptions, they are usually called curatores muneris gladiatorii, &c.

6. CURATORES OPERUM PUBLICORUM, who had the care of all public buildings, such as the theatres, baths, aqueducts, &c., and agreed with the contractors for all necessary repairs to them. Their duties under the republic were discharged by the aediles and censors. [CENSORES.] They are frequently mentioned in inscriptions. (Wilmanns, 636, 1163, 1181, 1188, 1224, &c.)

7. CURATORES REGIONUM, who had the care of the fourteen districts into which Rome was divided, and whose duty it was to prevent all disorder and extortion in their respective districts. This office was first instituted by Augustus. (Suet. Aug. 30.) There were usually two officers of this kind for each district: Alexander Severus, however, appears to have appointed only one for each; but these were persons of consular rank, who were to have jurisdiction in conjunction with the praefectus urbi. (Lamprid. Alex. Sev. 33.) We are told that M. Aurelius, among other regulations, gave special directions that the curatores regionum should either punish, or bring before the praefectus urbi for punishment, all persons who exacted from the inhabitants more than the legal taxes. (Jul. Capitol. M. Ant. Phil. 11. Cf. Wilmanns, 1222, 1715.)

8. CURATORES REIPUBLICAE (with the name of the community added), also called LOGISTAE who administered the landed property of municipia. [COLONIA p. 483 a.] (Dig. 50, tit. 8, s. 9.2; 2, tit. 14, s. 37.) These were appointed by the emperors: cf. C. I. L. 5.4368, “curat. reip. Bergam. dat. ab imp. Traiano. curat. reip. Comens. dat. ab imp. Hadriano.” Ulpian wrote a separate work, De Officio Curatoris Reipublicae.

9. CURATORES TABULARUM PUBLICARUM, three magistrates appointed by Tiberius in A.D. 16, to assist in keeping the public records. (Cf. Mommsen, Röm. Staatsr. ii.2 545.)

10. CURATORES VIARUM. [VIAE]

[W.S] [A.S.W]

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