Dionysius of Halicarnassus on a Democratic Change in the Centuriate Assembly

Abstract

Dionysius of Halicarnassus speaks, in 4.21.3 of a change in the character of the centuriate assembly which made it “more democratic’ by relaxing the strict ancient order of calling the centuries to vote. He does not say when the change took place.  Various interpretations of this passage have been offered. The paper argues that the change in question was the third-century reform of the centuriate assembly, and that Dionysius’ testimony should be taken to mean that in the reformed assembly the descending order of calling the property-classes to vote was no longer observed in the lower strata – below the second class. I suggest that this change, which enhanced the voting power of the lower strata of the assembly, was a political compensation for an earlier change in the Roman method of levy which had imposed on the lower strata a heavier burden of military service.