The Duumviri navales, lit. 'two men dealing with naval matters',[1] were two naval officers elected by the people of Rome to repair and equip the Roman fleet.[2] Both Duumviri navales were assigned to one Roman consul, and each controlled 20 ships.[3][4] It has been suggested that they may have been in charge of the ships of the Socii navales rather than those of the Roman fleet.[1] The position was established in 311 BC by the Lex Decia.[5]

History

Only two operations of the fleet of the Duumviri navales are known, that they set up a colony on Corsica in 311 BC, and that they were destroyed in battle against the Tarentines in 282 BC.[4] Some historians believe that they ceased to exist in 267 BC, and were replaced by four Quaestores classici,[6] However, other historians believe that the Quastores classici acted as auxiliaries to the Duumviri navales, rather than replacing them.[7]

Known Duumviri Navales

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Erickson, Andrew (2012). China Goes to Sea: Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical Perspective. Naval Institute Press. p. 67. ISBN 9781612511528.
  2. ↑ Hornblower, Simon (2012). The Oxford Classical Dictionary. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780199545568.
  3. ↑ Thiel, Johannes (1954). A History of Roman sea-power before the second Punic war. University of Michigan: North-Holland Publishing Company. p. 25.
  4. 1 2 Flower, Harriet I., ed. (2004). The Cambridge companion to the Roman Republic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780521003902.
  5. ↑ Livy 9.30.4
  6. ↑ Erickson, Andrew (2012). China Goes to Sea Maritime Transformation in Comparative Historical Perspective. Naval Institute Press. p. 67. ISBN 9781612511528.
  7. ↑ Clark, Frederick (1915). The Influence of Sea-power on the History of the Roman Republic. George Banta publishing Company. p. 8.
  8. ↑ Livy, xl. 26, 28.
  9. ↑ Broughton, vol. I, p. 386.
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