Politics & Government Flashcards
Understand terms and figures associated with the Monarchy (753 to 509 BCE); the Republic (509 to 27 BCE) and the Empire (27 BCE to 476 CE)
What is the meaning of res publica?
public property or commonwealth
What is the meaning of imperium?
political power, power to rule
What were the fasces?
bundles of sticks with a double-bladed ax in the middle representing control of the citizens through corporal or capital punishment, symbol of imperium
Who is a lictor?
one of 12 who carried a fascis, they accompanied the king as a visible sign of his imperium; later they attended magistrates in the Republic who held imperium
What was an interrex (interreges)?
senators chosen by lot to serve successive 5 day periods as rulers upon the death of a king until a new king was chosen
What was the comitia curiata?
an assembly of all the citizens, who approved the senate’s recommendation for a new king, and who voted yes or no in matters of foreign policy; each of the 30 curiae had ONE vote
Who were the patres?
senators
During the monarchy, what were senatus consulta?
resolutions of the senate usually followed by the rex
What was a curia?
a group of families who fought together during times of war
What were tribus (macron over u)?
three divisions of the Roman populace during the monarchy, each made up of ten curiae
Whhat was the patrum auctoritas and why was it important?
It was the authority of the senate and it was necessary in order to finalize any decision made by the curiae
What was the Comitia Centuriata?
an assembly of the people that elected the higher offices (maiores) in which each century had one vote organized by social class (those in the higher brackets voted first). The wealthy minority had a majority of votes (98 out of 193)
Who was the Magister Equitum?
The second in command during a dictator’s rule
What were the maiores?
the offices of the praetors, the consuls, and the censors (the higher magistrates)
What was the Comitia Tributa?
the assembly of the people organized into 35 tribes (4 urban) in which the less populated rural areas had more votes (more tribes) than the heavily populated city. it elected the minores/the lower magistrates
What were the minores?
the offices of quaestors, aediles, and tribunes of the plebs (lower offices)
What was the cursus honorum?
the order in which one could run for public office during the Roman Republic literally the course of honors
What was the prelimiary step in the cursus honorum?
ten years of military service in which one had to achieve the level of military tribus (tribunus militum)
What was the first elected office that could be held and at what age?
quaestor, 28
who were quaestors?
treasurers
how long did one have to wait before running for the next office
two years
what could one run for after one served as queastor
aediles
who were aediles
officials in charge of the upkeep of temples, public buildings, streets, free grain, and public entertainment (ludi, munera gladiatoria)
what were the two types of aediles?
two plebeian aediles (aediles plebis) and to curule aediles (aediles curules)
what was the difference between the curule aediles and the aediles plebis
aediles curules governed the entire populace, were granted the sella curulis (king’s chair) and were part of the cursus honorum, while aediles plebis served only the plebeians and were not regulated by the age requirements of the cursus honorum
who were the tribuni plebis
the most important of the minores/lower offices (but not part of the cursus) there were 10 elected by the contiones/concilia plebis
what were the duties of the tribuni plebis
to look out for the interests of the plebeians via auxilium, calling meetings of the concilia plebis, and vetoeing legislation (intercessio) that hurt the plebeians . they were sacrosanct meaning that they could not be harmed
how did one become an ex officio member of the Senate
by holding either the quaestorship or curule aedileship
what does ex officio mean
because of the office one hold not by any personal qualifications
how long did one have to wait to run for office after ho9lding the aedileship
two years
what was the next office in the cursus honorum after the curule aedileship
praetor
who were the praetors
judges
what were the two kinds of praetors and what were their respective roles
the praetor urbanus who heard lawsuits between citizens and the praetor peregrinus who heard lawsuits between citizens and non-citizens
what was special about the praetorship
praetors held imperium (the power of life and death over citizens) symbolized by a sella curulus and six lictors (attendants) who carried fasces (bundles of sticks surrounding an axe)
what was prorogation
extending the imperium of a praetor or consul beyond his one year term so that he could serve as a commander in the army or governor of a Roman province
how long did one have to wait after holding the praetorship before running for the next office
two years
what was the summit of the cursus honorum
the consulship
who were consuls
two executive magistrates who served for a year, presided over the Senate, introduced legislation for ratification in the comitia centuriata, and led Rome’s legions they had a sella curulus and 12 lictors with fasces
what was the censorship
officials elected every five years to reorder and affirm the proptery rolls according to income and morality they had the power to kick one out of the senatorial class they were elected from among the ex-consuls
What was the Concilium Plebis?
an assembly of the plebeians organized into 35 tribes which voted for the 10 tribunes and the plebeian aediles and passed plebiscites (laws)
What made the Roman Senate so powerful?
its auctoritas
What does SPQR stand for?
Senatus PopulusQue Romanus
the Senate and the Roman People
Who were the optimates?
magistrates who used traditional means to gain power
Who were populares?
magistrates who appealed to “the people” to gain power
