Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

The Thirty Five Voting Tribes

with abbreviations

Aemilia AEM Papiria PAP
Aniensis ANI, ANIE Pollia POL
Arniensis ARN Pomptina POM
Camilia CAM Publilia PVB, POB
Claudia CLA, C, CL Pupinia PVP
Clustumina
(Crustumina)
CLV, CRV Quirina QVIR, QVI
Collina COL Romilia ROM
Cornelia COR Sabatina SAB
Esquilina ESQ Scaptia SCAP
Fabia FAB Sergia SER
Falerna FAL Stellatina STE, STEL
Galeria GAL Suburana
(Sucusana)
SVB, SVC
Horatia HOR, ORA Teretina TER
Lemonia LEM Tromentina TRO
Maecia MAEC Velina VEL
Menenia MEN Voltinia VOL
Oufentina OVF, VFEN Voturia VOT
Palatina PAL    

Collina, Esquilina, Palatina and Suburana are "urban" tribes, the remainder "rustic". The total of 35 was completed in 242 B.C., with the establishment of Velina and Quirina, and no further additions were made. Hence, anyone who had Roman citizenship conferred on him after that time, wherever he lived, had to be enrolled in one of the existing tribes. No hard and fast rule seems to have been followed, and the tribe might be "urban" or "rustic", but some generalisations can be made; for example, citizens from Gallia Narbonensis tend to be enrolled in Voltinia, those from the eastern provinces in Collina or Quirina.

In inscriptions the name of the tribe normally appears between the filiation and the cognomen, thus:

Q.LOLLIVS.M.F.QVIR.VRBICUS

= Quintus Lollius Urbicus, son of Marcus, of the tribe Quirina

home