Roman Politics Flashcards
What was the Cursus Honorum?
The career structure offered to aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and early Empire.
Latin: “path of honour”
Who was the Cursus Honorum designed for?
Men of patrician and equestrian rank, with some posts available to plebeians.
What did the Cursus Honorum comprise of?
A mixture of military and administration posts taken in a particular order.
What were some rules of the Cursus Honorum?
Minimum age for election, minimum intervals between holding successive offices, and laws forbidding repeating an office.
Example: Gaius Marius held consulships for five years in a row between 104 BC and 100 BC.
What was considered a great political success in the Cursus Honorum?
To have held each office at the youngest possible age.
What does “in suo anno” mean in Latin?
“In his year”, i.e. at the youngest possible age.
What were the steps in the Cursus Honorum?
- Junior military posting abroad
- Quaestor
- Aedile
- Praetor
- Consul
- Proconsul
- Governor of a province
- Roman senators in the Senate House, Rome.
Their wealth was usually based on the ownership of land, employed in the legal profession, or work experience.
What was the age requirement for a Junior military posting abroad?
14-17 with a male relative.
What was the age requirement for a Quaestor?
17+.
What was the age requirement for an Aedile?
Junior magistracy with automatic membership of the senate, 30+.
What was the age requirement for a Praetor?
City magistrate, responsible for infrastructure, 36+.
What was the age requirement for a Consul?
Senior Magistracy or military command abroad, 40+.
What was the age requirement for a Proconsul?
Head of state with a colleague, 43+.
What was the Cursus Honorum?
The career structure offered to aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and early Empire.
Latin: “path of honour”
Who was the Cursus Honorum designed for?
Men of patrician and equestrian rank, with some posts available to plebeians.
