Duumviri navales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
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]