During the existence of the Roman Republic, Roman senators met in a chamber called the curia. The history of the building is more ancient than the history of the Roman Republic. The word curia also refers to the assembly of elected leaders from the three Roman districts.
The origin of the curia
In the middle of the 6th century BC, the legendary king Tullus Hostilius built the first curia to assemble an assembly of 30 elected representatives of the Roman people. Such an elected clan leader was called the curiae.
The first curia was named Curia Hostilius in honor of the third king of ancient Rome.
Location of the curia
The forum was the center of the political life of ancient Rome, and the curia was an important part of it. The Forum was attended by the Comitius, where the assembly met. The comitium was a rectangular space, located taking into account the cardinal points. The Curia was located in the north of the Comitia.
Curia and curia
In ancient Rome, there were three main districts: Titia, Ramna and Lucera.
10 representatives were elected from each constituency. These 30 people gathered for a national meeting of the curiae. Voting took place in the Comitia, a sacred place called the soothsayers.
Obligations of the curiae
The assembly of the curiae made decisions regarding the order of succession to the throne by the kings and the transfer of his powers to the king. The curiae were replaced by lictors when the royal period of Ancient Rome ended.
Location of Curia Hostilia
The Curia Hostiliya was oriented south. It was a sacred place, and it was oriented in the same way as the Roman temples. Curia Julia was located on the same axis with the temple, but southeast of it. The old Curia of Hostiliya was destroyed. In its place, an entrance to a new forum was erected, located to the northeast of it.
Curia Julia
Julius Caesar began building a new curia shortly before he was killed. The construction of the Curia Julius was completed after his death in 29 BC by the emperor Augustus. Like its predecessor, this new curia was also a temple. Emperor Domitian restored the curia in 94. A depiction of the Senate assembly in this curia can be seen in Trajan's famous anaglyphs. The relief is in the Roman Forum in the Senate Chamber. The Curia is also possibly depicted in one of the reliefs on Trajan's Arch in the Italian city of Benevento.
Curia Julia burned down during a fire during the reign of Emperor Karin.
Currently, the Curia Julia is in Rome, in the Roman Forum.
It was rebuilt by the Emperor Diocletian.
From an architectural point of view, the Curia Julia is a hall measuring 25 by 17 meters, with cement walls covered with bricks. There is a backwater in every corner of the building. The front wall is decorated with marble slabs from the inside. The ceiling is covered with plaster. Limestone brackets and brick cornice were also covered with plaster. A flight of several steps led to the front door, where the architrave was located. In 303, in honor of the tenth and twentieth anniversary of Emperor Diocletian, two colossal columns were erected at the entrance to the curia. The first of these columns has not survived, but the second still lies in the forum in Rome.