Editing Cursus honorum (section)

== Aedile ==
{{Main|Aedile}}
{{Cleanup|section|small = no| date = January 2021 | reason = The section describes the aedileship under several eras without a clear chronology or structure. Requirements are later stated as optional. Number of aediles vary in different paragraphs. In general, the section would benefit from a better structure.}}
At 36 years of age, a [[promagistrate]] could stand for election to one of the [[aedile]]s (pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|iː|d|aɪ|l}} {{respell|EE|dyle}}, from ''[[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#aedes|aedes]]'', "temple edifice") positions. Of these aediles, two were plebeian and two were patrician, with the patrician aediles called [[Aedile#Curule aediles|curule aediles]]. The plebeian aediles were elected by the [[Plebeian Council]] and the curule aediles were either elected by the [[Roman assemblies|Tribal Assembly]] or appointed by the reigning consul. The aediles had administrative responsibilities in Rome. They had to take care of the temples (whence their title, from the Latin ''[[Aedes (Roman)|aedes]]'', "[[Roman temple|temple]]"), organize games, and be responsible for the maintenance of the public buildings in Rome. Moreover, they took charge of Rome's water and food supplies; in their capacity as market superintendents, they served sometimes as judges in mercantile affairs.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}

The aedile was the supervisor of public works; the words "edifice" and "edification" stem from the same root. He oversaw the public works, temples and markets. Therefore, the aediles would have been in some cooperation with the current [[Roman censor|censors]], who had similar or related duties. Also, they oversaw the organization of festivals and games (''ludi''), which made this a very sought-after office for a career minded politician of the late Republic, as it was a good means of gaining popularity by staging spectacles.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Beck|first=Hans|title=Career and hierarchy: the Roman aristocracy and the beginnings of the cursus honorum in the middle republic|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|year=2009|isbn=9783050048468}}</ref>
[[File:Cursus Honorum.png|thumb|300x300px|''Cursus honorum'' as during Julius Caesar's career (1st century BC)]]
Curule aediles were added at a later date in the 4th century BC; their duties do not differ substantially from plebeian aediles. However, unlike plebeian aediles, curule aediles were allowed certain symbols of rank—the ''[[Curule chair|sella curulis]]'' or curule chair, for example—and only patricians could stand for election to curule aedile. This later changed, and both plebeians and patricians could stand for curule aedileship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Curule aedile {{!}} Roman official {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/curule-aedile |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

The elections for curule aedile were at first alternated between patricians and plebeians, until late in the 2nd century BC, when the practice was abandoned and both classes became free to run during all years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Britannica |first1=The Editors of Encyclopaedia |title=Aedile |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/aedile |website=Britannica |access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref>

While part of the ''cursus honorum'', this step was optional and not required to hold future offices. Though the office was usually held after the [[quaestor]]ship and before the [[praetor]]ship, there are some cases with former praetors serving as aediles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aedile {{!}} Roman official|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/aedile|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>