CONCĬLĬUM generally has the same meaning as _conventus_ or
_conventio_, but the technical import of concilium in the Roman
constitution was an assembly of a _portion_ of the people as
distinct from the general assemblies or comitia. Accordingly, as
the comitia tributa embraced only a portion of the Roman people,
viz. the plebeians, these comitia are often designated by the term
_concilia plebis_. Concilium is also used by Latin writers to denote
the assemblies or meetings of confederate towns or nations, at which
either their deputies alone or any of the citizens met who had time
and inclination, and thus formed a representative assembly. Such an
assembly or diet is commonly designated as _commune concilium_, or τὸ
κοινόν, e.g. _Achaeorum_, _Aetolorum_, _Boeotorum_, _Macedoniae_, and
the like.