COMMENTARII (

See also:

• LAT

Lat. = Gr. broµvijµara)  , notes to assist the memory, memoranda . This original idea of the word gave rise to a variety of meanings: notes and abstracts of speeches for the assistance of orators; family memorials, the origin of many of the legends introduced into early Roman history from a desire to glorify a particular family; diaries of events occurring in their own circle kept by private individuals,—the day-book, drawn up for Trimalchio in Petronius (Satyricon, 53) by his actuarius (a slave to whom the duty was specially assigned) is quoted as an example ; memoirs of events in which they had taken part drawn up by public men, such were the " Commentaries " of Caesar on the Gallic and Civil wars, and of Cicero on his consulship . Different departments of the imperial administration and certain high functionaries kept records, which were under the charge of an official known as a commentariis (cf. a secretis, ab epistulis) . Municipal authorities also kept a register of their official acts . The Comrne;;tarii Principis were the register of the official acts of the emperor . They contained the decisions, favourable or unfavourable, in regard to certain citizens; accusations brought before him or ordered by him; lists of persons in receipt of special privileges . These must be distinguished from the commentarii diurni, a daily court-journal . At a later period records called ephemerides were kept by order of the emperor; these were much used by the Scriptores Historiae Augustae (see AUGUSTAN HISTORY) . The Commentarii Senatus, only once mentioned (Tacitus, Annals, xv . 74) are probably identical with the ACTA SENATUS (q.v.) . There were also Commentarii of the priestly colleges: (a) Pontificum, collections of their decrees and responses for future reference, to be distinguished from their Annales, which were historical records, and from their Acta, minutes of their meetings; (b) Augurum, similar collections of augural decrees and responses; (c) Decemvirorum; (d) Fratrum Arvalium . Like the priests, the magistrates also had similar notes, partly written by themselves, and partly records of which they formed the subject .

But practically nothing is known of these Commentarii Magistratuum . Mention should also be made of the Commentarii Regum, containing decrees concerning the functions and privileges of the

kings, and forming a record of the acts of the king in his capacity of priest . They were drawn up in historical times like the so-called leges regiae (jus Papirianum), supposed to contain the decrees and decisions of the Roman kings . See the exhaustive article by A. von Premerstein in Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyclopadie (1901); Teuffel-Schwabe, Hist. of Roman Lit . (Eng. trans.), pp . 72, 77-79; and the concise account by H . Thedenat in Daremberg and Saglio, Dictionnaire des antiquitis .