Institutions of the Republic at the End of the Struggle of the Orders Flashcards
the magistrates
they embodied the Roman state. right of veto was a safeguard against arbitrary acts. they were assisted by professional scribes, heralds, messengers, attendants, wardens. it was not, however, civil service. groups of advisors (consilia) greatly influenced the magistrates’ policy.
consuls (2), praetors (2 -> 4 -> 8), tribunes of the plebs (10), aediles (4), quaestors (2 -> 8 -> 20).
they were all elected by the Comitia Tributa
consulship and praetorship
highest offices. only these two had imperium. they had special clothing and insignia.
rules regarding pomerium
armed soldiers were not allowed to enter. an exception was made when a consul was granted permission to lead his army through the town on a triumphal procession.
cursus honorum
the notables were to hold offices in a traditional order (quaestorship -> aedile/tribune of the plebs -> praetor -> consul). the offices did not succeed one-another immediately. people holding these offices did not get payed and thus only the rich could hold them.
the Senate
in effect the most important body of the Roman state. included all of the magistrates and ex-magistrates. it possessed quite a lot of military, administrative and diplomatic expertise and experience. popular assemblies almost always followed the Senate’s advice. it had complete control over the state’s finances and foreign policies.
nobiles
from 367 BC onwards there was a new governing class. nobiles were the core of a wider circle of equally rich and distinguished senatorial families. this inner circle formed the actual oligarchic government. after 200 BC, the nobiles came to be known more narrowly as families who regularly delivered a consul.
senators and equites
they included nobiles. formed an active administrative part of the highest property class (equites). by the beginning of the Christian era the number of equites had risen to around 20 000. provided the officers for all the army units. not a big difference in wealth or lifestyle between the two. the families were often related and knew each other well. homo novus also made an appearance.
homo novus
a knight who managed to gain admittance to the cursus honorum by virtue of his military performance or eloquence. not many of them appeared, though.
social composition of the Roman population
- top layer: landed patricians and plebeians
- wealthy plebeians from Rome and other Roman communities and knights (equites), senators
- landed farmers, merchants, large workshop owners
- poor small farmers, proletarians
- freed slaves
- slaves (differences within this group itself)
size of Roman population
no exact numbers. however, around 310 BC the first large aqueduct’s construction begun. in the mid third century a second aqueducts was to follow.
city was populated by senators, knights, ealthy merchants, bankers, workshop owners, masses of common craftsmen, day labourers. the city also attracted many immigrants.
popular assembly
Rome had essentially two: Comitia Centuriata and Comitia Tributa. they held no discussions but were solely voting meetings. officer presiding over the assembly had a powerful position.
Comitia Centuriata was always led by a magistrate with imperium. Comitia Tributa was led by a consul, a praetor, or a patrician aedilis.
after 287 BC, Comitia Centuriata virtually always met for a specific purpose.
centuria in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC
nothing to do with the army anymore but a property class. Class I: 12 centuriae of equites, 80 centuriae of heavily armed infantry, 6 centuriae of equites class II: 20 centuriae of infantry class III: 20 centuriae of infantry class IV: 20 centuriae of infantry class V: 30 centuriae of infantry
Coitia Tributa
organized by district with each district with one vote. in essence, the poor should have had more influence here. after 287 BC this also served as a court of appeal.
an oligarchic government
no constitution and a few written laws. all state procedures and acts were based on unwritten rules and political codes of conduct. the polity was essentially oligarchic. this was largely due to the traditional respect for the old-established families and their successes in wars. loyalty was much more important than political views and thus there were no political parties.
a new type of client
in the 3rd, 2nd and 1st centuries clients were poor citizens who were assisted by their patron in times of hunger and hardship and in times of a conflict. the clients in return supported their patron in elections, political conflicts, escorted him in public, greeted him at his house at dawn.
