aedilis

Reading notes

• Ad Atticum 9.12 §3 the aediles get up the games

  The aediles were junior magistrates charged with the city's public buildings, markets, and festival games; Cicero lists their humdrum routine to mark the surreal normality of Rome while Pompey is besieged.

• Ad Familiares 8.2 §2 the moment you hear of my being elected designate

  Caelius was standing for the aedileship of 50 BC; an 'aedile designate' was one elected but not yet entered on office. The aedile's chief public duty was staging the games, which is why he immediately raises the panthers.

• Ad Familiares 11.16 §3 with that most magnificent aedile's show to his credit

  As aedile (probably 45 BC) Lamia had staged exceptionally lavish public games (munus), the customary way to win popular favour before standing for the praetorship.

• Ad Familiares 13.11 §3 made aedile

  At Arpinum the only elected magistracy was a college of three aediles. The year Cicero is writing of, the three slots were filled by his son Marcus, his nephew Quintus, and his friend M. Caesius.

• Ad Quintum Fratrem 1.1 §26 aedilician tax

  Aediles at Rome funded the public games from their own pockets and routinely pressed provincial cities for contributions; Quintus's edict barring such levies for the games freed Asia of a heavy exaction.

• Ad Quintum Fratrem 2.2 §2 this raving aedileship

  The aediles, junior magistrates responsible for the city, the games, and public works; canvassing for the office (here for Quintus's building business) was disrupting other work. 'Raving' reflects the disorder of the 56 BC campaigning.

• On the Laws §3.7 Let there be aediles

  The aediles oversaw the city, the grain supply, and the public games; Cicero's law makes the office the first rung on the ladder of honours. The four aediles (two curule, two plebeian) ranked below the praetorship.

• On the Nature of the Gods §1.22 like an aedile

  The aediles were the Roman magistrates responsible for public buildings, markets, and the staging of festival games. Velleius scoffs that the god decking out the heavens behaves like an aedile mounting a show.

• On Duties §2.57 a brilliant aedileship

  The aedileship, a junior magistracy responsible for the city's upkeep and for staging the public games; lavish games as aedile were a costly but expected step toward higher office at Rome.

• On Duties §3.71 the aediles' edict

  The aediles, magistrates who supervised markets, issued an edict requiring sellers of slaves to declare known defects of health, tendency to flee, and past thefts. It made the seller answerable for concealment.

• Ninth Philippic §17 the curule aediles remit

  The curule aediles regulated funerals by edict; the decree waives those restrictions for Sulpicius's funeral. The aediles were junior magistrates in charge of public games, markets, and city order.