DECURIO, a subaltern officer in the Roman armies. He commanded a decuria, which consisted of ten men, and was the third part of a turma, or the 30th part of a legio of horse, which was composed of 580 men. There were certain magistrates in the provinces called decuriones municipales, who formed a body to represent the Roman senate in free and corporate towns. They consisted of ten, whence the name; and their duty extended to watch over the interests of their fellow citizens, and to increase the revenues of the commonwealth. Their court was called curia decurionum and minor senatus; and their decrees, called decreta decurionum, were marked with two D. D. at the top. They generally styled themselves civitatum patres curia-
Decurrent let, and honori municipiorum senatorum. They were elected with the same ceremonies as the Roman senators; they were to be at least 25 years of age, and to be possessed of a certain sum of money. The election happened in the kalends of March.