Decuria
from
decem, “ten,” and consequently a company of
ten persons (Colum. i. 9.7).
1.
A division of the
curiae. Each of the three ancient Roman
tribes—the Ramnes, Tities, and Luceres—was divided into ten
curiae, and each
curia into ten decuriae, so that there
were 300 decuriae, which, according to Niebuhr, were equivalent to the
gentes, but this is doubtful (
Dionys. ii. 7;
Plut. Rom. 20;
de Rep. ii. 8).
The constitution of the
curiae is discussed under
Curia. See also
Gens.
2.
A corresponding division of the Senate. The original hundred members of the Senate were
divided into ten decuriae, the heads of each decuria forming the Decem Primi in the Senate.
(See
Decem Primi;
Senatus). In like manner in the municipal towns the Senate, usually
called
curia, was divided into decuriae. See
Decuriones.
3.
In the same way for military purposes each of the three Roman tribes was represented by 100
equites, called
centuriae. The three
centuriae were
divided into ten
turmae, each consisting of thirty men; every
turma contained ten Ramnes, ten Tities, and ten Luceres, and each of these
decuriae was commanded by a
decurio (
Liv.i. 13; Varr.
L. L. v. 91). See
Equites.
4.
The Iudices were divided into three decuriae, to which Augustus added a fourth, and
Caligula a fifth decuria. See
Iudex.
5.
Collegia or corporations were divided into decuriae. Thus we read of decuriae of
scribae, lictors, viatores, etc. The members of these decuriae were called
decuriales.
6.
The tribes were divided into decuriae by electioneering agents for bribery and corruption
(
Cic. Planc. 18, 45;
Cic. Planc. 19, 47). See
Ambitus.
