| The categories established at regular intervals in | | | | religious laws, so Servius shone among posterity |
| the census were the basis of all assemblies. The | | | | as the founder of all dis-tinctions within the city |
| Centuriate assembly (comitia centuriata), which | | | | and of the orders that mark out the grades of |
| only an official with imperium could summon, was | | | | fortune and dignity. For he began the census, a |
| organized like the army with the presiding official | | | | most useful measure for so great a future |
| acting as a commander and the voters as | | | | empire, since it distributed the burdens of war and |
| soldiers. For this reason, it met only outside the | | | | peace, not individually as before, but according to |
| sacred limits or pomerium of the city, since | | | | level of wealth. From the census, for use in war |
| commanders could not issue binding orders to | | | | or peace, he then defined classes and centuries |
| their soldiers within Rome. Voting was oral, and | | | | and the following gradations. |
| each citizen, when summoned to vote, signified his | | | | From those who had a census of 100,000 asses |
| acceptance or rejection of any candidate or | | | | [a monetary unit] or more, he formed eighty |
| proposal by word of mouth. This voting was | | | | centuriae, forty each of seniores and juniores; all |
| organized and tallied by centuries, which voted in | | | | were called the first class. The seniores were to |
| turn. Each century possessed one vote, which | | | | be ready to guard the city, the juniores to wage |
| was itself determined by the votes of a majority | | | | war abroad. For armor, they were to provide |
| of the century's members who were present. | | | | helmet, round shield, greaves, and breastplate, all |
| Victory in a straight majority of centuries | | | | of bronze, as protection for their bodies; as |
| determined the outcome. In general, the | | | | weapons, they were to have a spear and a |
| Centuriate assembly elected new consuls, | | | | sword. Two centuriae of carpenters and smiths, |
| praetors, and censors, and voted on matters of | | | | who served without weapons, were added to |
| war and peace. | | | | these; they had the duty of making siege |
| Procedures in this assembly favored any presiding | | | | machines in war. The second class was instituted |
| official, and also the wealthiest citizens. In | | | | from those who had a census of between 75,000 |
| elections, the former was entitled to accept or | | | | and 100,000 asses; from these, both seniores and |
| reject the names of would be candidates, | | | | juniores, twenty centuriae were enrolled. They |
| although it is unclear how freely this right was | | | | were to use a long rectangular shield instead of a |
| exercised in similar passage in Dionysius of | | | | round one; except for the breastplate, their |
| Halicarnassus' Roman Antiquities (4.16.1-18.3), this is | | | | remaining arms were the same as for the first |
| the most complete surviving account of the | | | | class. Servius Tullius wished the census of the |
| classes that made up the census. There remain | | | | third class to be 50,000 asses. Here, he made the |
| problems with both accounts in particular, | | | | same number of centuriae as in the second class, |
| elements of speculative reconstruction are | | | | with the same distinctions of age. There was no |
| detectible and the link between a census class and | | | | difference in their equipment, except that the |
| its members' military equipment was almost | | | | greaves were omitted. In the fourth class, the |
| certainly not as rigid as portrayed here. In any | | | | census was 25,000 asses. The same number of |
| event, Livy's census certainly fits third century | | | | centuriae were formed, but their equipment was |
| conditions better than those of the sixth, where | | | | different, because they had to provide only a |
| both he and Dionysius place their descriptions.Note | | | | spear and a javelin. The fifth class was larger, and |
| that juniores were male citizens between | | | | thirty centuriae were formed for it; these men |
| seventeen and forty five years of age, while | | | | carried slings and stones for missiles. With them |
| seniores were older.Later, during the second | | | | were hornblowers and trumpeters divided into |
| century, the distribution of centuriae may have | | | | two centuriae. The census of this fifth class was |
| been changed in a way that reduced the influence | | | | 11,000 asses. Those whose census was less than |
| of the first class. | | | | this, the remainder of the population, formed a |
| Servius Tullius then began by far the greatest | | | | single centuria and were exempt from military |
| work of peace. Just as Numa was the author of | | | | service. |