ÆDILE (adilis), in Roman Antiquity, a magistrate whose chief business was to superintend buildings of all kinds, but more especially public ones, as temples, aqueducts, bridges, &c. To the ædiles likewise belonged the care of the highways, public places, weights and measures, &c. They also fixed the prices of provisions, took cognizance of debauches, punished lewd women and such persons as frequented gaming-houses. The custody of the plebiscita, or orders of the people, was likewise committed to them. They had the inspection of comedies and other pieces of wit; and were obliged to exhibit magnificent games to the people, at their own expense, whereby many of them were ruined. They had the power, on certain occasions, of issuing edicts, and by degrees they procured to themselves a considerable jurisdiction. All these functions, which rendered the ædiles so considerable, belonged at first to the ædiles of the people, ædiles plebei, or minores. These were only two in number, and were first created in the same year as the tribunes; for the tribunes, finding themselves oppressed with the multiplicity of affairs, demanded of the senate to have officers to whom they might intrust matters of less importance; and accordingly two ædiles were created; and hence it was that the ædiles were elected every year at the same assembly as the tribunes. But these plebeian ædiles having refused, on a signal occasion, to treat the people with shows, pleading that they were unable to support the expense thereof, the patricians made an offer to do it, provided they would admit them to the honours of the ædilate. On this occasion there were two new ædiles created, of the number of the patricians, in the year of Rome 388. They were called ædiles curules, or maiores, as having a right to sit on a curule chair, enriched with ivory, when they gave audience; whereas the plebeian ædiles only sat on benches. Besides that the curule ædiles shared all the ordinary functions with the plebeian, their chief employment was, to procure the celebration of the grand Roman games, and to exhibit comedies, shows of gladiators, &c. to the people; and they were also appointed judges in all cases relating to the selling or exchanging of estates. To ease these first four ædiles, Cæsar created a new kind, called ædiles cereales, as being deputed chiefly to take care of the corn, which was called domus Ceresis; for the heathens honoured Ceres as the goddess who presided over corn, and attributed to her the invention of agriculture. These ædiles cereales were also taken out of the order of patricians. In the municipal cities there were ædiles, and with the same authority as at Rome.
We also read of an ædilis alimentarius, expressed in abbreviation by Ædil. alim. whose business seems to have been to provide diet for those who were maintained at the public charge, though others assign him a different office.
—In an ancient inscription we also meet with ædile of the camp, ædilis castrorum.