Collegium (English spelling) collegium (Latin)

A Roman association or guild. Originally it meant an association of priests, and even later most of them had a religious character. At the end of the Republic, they participated in political struggles, and during the Imperial period, permission from the emperor or the senate was required to form a collegium. This permission was relatively easy to obtain, but restrictions were placed on the number of meetings. There were many types of collegiums, such as mutual aid societies for the burial of the poor, societies for physical training of youth, and clubs for veterans, and they fulfilled social functions different from the official organizations of the state or city. In the case of collegiums of craftsmen and other occupational groups, the purpose was to foster friendship among members and mutual assistance in social life, rather than to secure common economic interests. However, as early as the 2nd century, restrictions were imposed on guilds of grain merchants, shipping agents, and others in order to organize service to the state, and in the 3rd century this was expanded to other fields. Towards the end of the Empire, the freedom of union members was greatly restricted and unions became tools of the state to secure services.

[Akira Sakaguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ローマ時代の結社、組合。もともとは神官の団体を意味し、のちになっても大部分のものが多少とも宗教的な性格を帯びていた。共和政末期に政治的な闘争に参加したこともあり、帝政期には、その結成には皇帝か元老院の許可が必要となった。この許可は比較的容易に得られたが、会合の回数などに制限が加えられた。コレギウムには、貧民の埋葬のための互助組合、青少年の体育訓練のための団体、退役兵のクラブなど多様な種類があり、国家や都市の公式の組織とは違った社会的な機能を果たしていた。手工業者など同職の人々のコレギウムの場合も、その目的は、共通の経済的利益の確保よりは、むしろ成員間の親睦(しんぼく)と社会生活上の互助のほうにあった。しかし、穀物商、海運業者などの組合に対しては、すでに2世紀から国家への奉仕の組織化のために統制が加えられ、3世紀にはそれが他の分野にまで広げられた。帝政末期には、組合員の自由は大幅に制限され、組合は奉仕を確保するための国家の道具となった。

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