The Duumviri navales, literally two men dealing with naval matters,
were two naval officers elected by the people of Rome to repair and equip the Roman fleet. Both Duumviri navales were assigned to one Roman consul, and each controlled 20 ships.
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.
The position was established in 311 BC by the
Lex Decia.
History
Only two operations of the fleet of the Duumviri navales are known, that they set up a colony on Corsica in 311BC, and that they were destroyed in battle against the
Tarentines in 282BC.
Some historians believe that they ceased to exist in 267 BC, and were replaced by four
Quaestores classici, However, other historians believe that the Quastores classici acted as auxiliaries to the Duumviri navales, rather than replacing them.
Known Duumviri Navales
*
Publius Cornelius
*
Gaius Matienus.
[Broughton, vol. I, p. 386.]
See also
*
Duumviri
The duumviri (Latin for "two men"), originally duoviri and also known in English as the duumvirs, were any of various joint magistrates of ancient Rome. Such pairs of magistrates were appointed at various periods of Roman history both in Rome its ...
References
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Navy of ancient Rome