CONVENTUS, was the name applied to the whole body of Roman citizens
who were either permanently or for a time settled in a province. In
order to facilitate the administration of justice, a province was
divided into a number of districts or circuits, each of which was
called _conventus_, _forum_, or _jurisdictio_. Roman citizens living
in a province were entirely under the jurisdiction of the proconsul;
and at certain times of the year, fixed by the proconsul, they
assembled in the chief town of the district, and this meeting bore
the name of _conventus_ (σύνοδος). Hence the expressions--_conventus
agere_, _peragere_, _convocare_, _dimittere_. At this conventus
litigant parties applied to the proconsul, who selected a number of
judges from the conventus to try their causes. The proconsul himself
presided at the trials, and pronounced the sentence according to
the views of the judges, who were his assessors (_consilium_ or
_consiliarii_). These conventus appear to have been generally held
after the proconsul had settled the military affairs of the province;
at least, when Caesar was proconsul of Gaul, he made it a regular
practice to hold the conventus after his armies had retired to their
winter quarters.