I.a meeting, assembly that is called together by a magistrate or priest (cf.: contio significat conventum, non tamen alium quam eum qui a magistratu vel a sacerdote publico per praeconem convocatur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 38, 4; cf. contionor—In good prose).
I. Prop.: “advocat contionem, habet orationem talem consul,” Cic. Sest. 12, 28; so, “advocare contionem,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 80, § 185; Sall. C. 57, 5; id. J. 33, 3; Liv. 8, 31, 1; Suet. Claud. 22 et saep.: “advocare contionem populi,” Sall. J. 84, 5: “militum,” Caes. B. C. 2, 32: “advocare populum in contionem,” Liv. 42, 33, 2: “ad contionem advocavit,” id. 4, 1, 6: “plebem ad contionem vocare,” id. 2, 2, 4; cf. Suet. Calig. 48: “me in vestram contionem evocaverunt,” Cic. Agr. 3, 4, 16: “convocatis ad contionem militibus,” Suet. Caes. 66: “contionem habere,” to hold a meeting, Liv. 29, 21, 7 (cf.: “contionem habere, II. infra): in contione dicere,” Cic. Or. 63, 213 sq.; of. id. ib. 50, 168; and id. de Or. 2, 59, 242: “in contionem populi prodire,” Nep. Them. 1, 3: quae ego de te in senatu egerim, quae in contionibus dixerim, Cic. Fam. 5, 2, 4; cf. “so in opp. to the Senate,” Tac. A. 4, 40 fin.: “laudare aliquem pro contione,” before the people, Sall. J. 8, 2; Liv. 7, 7, 3; 7, 10, 14 al.; Quint. 2, 4, 33; 4, 4, 8 al.: “nunc in mille curias contionesque dispersam et dissipatam esse rempublicam,” Liv. 2, 28, 4; 2, 23, 5: “contio conventusque,” Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 50, § 110: “contio, quae ex imperitissimis constat,” id. Lael. 25, 95: “togata et urbana,” Liv. 45, 37, 8: “turbulentae,” Quint. 5, 13, 39; cf.: “in illis fluctibus contionum,” id. 8, 6, 48; and: “contionum procellae,” id. 8, 6, 7: “stabant pro contione legiones destrictis gladiis,” in the manner of an assembly, Tac. A. 1, 44 Draeg. ad loc.—
II. Meton., a discourse, oration before a public assembly: “legi contionem tuam,” Cic. Fam. 9, 14, 7; cf.: “audiri jam et legi novas contiones,” Tac. A. 5, 4 fin.: “habere contionem ... quā in oratione,” Cic. Agr. 2, 1, 1; so, “contionis habendae potestas,” id. Fam. 5, 2, 7; Liv. 24, 22, 1: “contionem apud milites habuit,” Caes. B. C. 3, 73; so Liv. 44, 1, 9; cf. also id. 27, 13, 1; Caes. B. C. 2, 18: “habuit super eā re contionem,” Suet. Caes. 5: “in contione contra Catilinam,” Quint. 5, 11, 42: “funebres tristes atque summissae,” id. 11, 3, 153: “ut Cicero dicit contra contionem Metelli,” id. 9, 3, 50; cf. Gell. 18, 7, 7; and the few fragments of this oration of Cic. in Orell. IV. 2, p. 455 sq.; Quint. 12, 10, 70; cf. id. 3, 8, 65; 3, 8, 67.—Of the orations reported in a history: “ille (sc. Thucydides) contionibus melior, hic (sc. Herodotus) sermonibus,” Quint. 10, 1, 73; cf. id. 9, 4, 18; Plin. Ep. 1, 16, 4.—
B. A place for speaking, a tribune, rostrum; mostly in the phrases in contionem ascendere or escendere: “cum magistratum inieris et in contionem ascenderis,” Cic. Fin. 2, 22, 74; id. Att. 4, 2, 3: “in contionem escendit,” Liv. 2, 7, 7 Weissenb. ad loc.; 3, 49, 4; “5, 50, 8: Perseus in contionem processit Philippum secum filium habens,” id. 44, 45, 8; cf.: contionem tria significare: locum suggestumque unde verba fierent, ... coetum populi adsistentis, item orationem ipsam, Verr. Fl. ap. Gell. 18, 7, 7.
