Next in the ascending scale was the Roman tribe, composed of ten curiæ and a hundred gentes. When a natural growth, uninfluenced externally, a tribe would be an aggregation of such gentes as were derived by segmentation from an original gens or pair of gentes; all the members of which would speak the same dialect. Until the tribe itself divided, by processes before pointed out, it would include all the descendants of the members of these gentes. But the Roman tribe, with which alone we are now concerned, was artificially enlarged for special objects and by special means, but the basis and body of the tribe was a natural growth.
Prior to the time of Romulus each tribe elected a chief officer whose duties were magisterial, military and religious.[335] He performed in the city magisterial duties for the tribe, as well as administered its _sacra_, and he also commanded its military forces in the field.[336] He was probably elected by the curiæ collected in a general assembly; but here again our information is defective. It was undoubtedly an ancient office in each Latin tribe, peculiar in character and held by an elective tenure. It was also the germ of the still higher office of _rex_, or general military commander, the functions of the two offices being similar. The tribal chiefs are styled by Dionysius leaders of the tribes (tribon egemonias).[337] When the three Roman tribes had coalesced into one people, under one senate, one assembly of the people, and one military commander, the office of tribal chief was overshadowed and became less important; but the continued maintenance of the office by an elective tenure confirms the inference of its original popular character.
An assembly of the tribe must also have existed, from a remote antiquity. Before the founding of Rome each Italian tribe was practically independent, although the tribes were more or less united in confederate relations. As a self-governing body each of these ancient tribes had its council of chiefs (who were doubtless the chiefs of the gentes), its assembly of the people, and its chiefs who commanded its military bands. These three elements in the organization of the tribe; namely, the council, the tribal chief, and the tribal assembly, were the types upon which were afterwards modeled the _Roman senate_, the _Roman rex_, and the _comitia curiata_. The tribal chief was in all probability called by the name of _rex_ before the founding of Rome; and the same remark is applicable to the name of senators (_senex_), and the _comitia_ (_con-ire_). The inference arises, from what is known of the condition and organization of these tribes, that their institutions were essentially democratical. After the coalescence of the three Roman tribes, the national character of the tribe was lost in the higher organization; but it still remained as a necessary integer in the organic series.