senate and cursus honorum key phrases

Question 1

res publica

Answer 1

political affairs/ republican system

Question 2

patrician

Answer 2

aristocratic, senatorial families. Link their ancestry to founding families of Rome. Held leading roles in politics, religion and social aspects of Rome

Question 3

Plebeian

Answer 3

Lower class, normally poorer citizens who worked as tradesmen, farmers etc. However smart plebeians recognised, due to expansion, opportunities to gin wealth and form new social group the equites

Question 4

Nobile

Answer 4

Elite Patrician family. Could trace a consul in their ancestry

Question 5

equites

Answer 5

came from plebeians. Recognised opportunities to make a lot of wealth in trade and finance. Moved up social class ladder and asked for rights in political affairs of Rome.

Question 6

novus homo

Answer 6

a ‘ new man’. Someone who moves up cursus Honorum without any political background or has come from plebeian class.

Question 7

cursus Honorum

Answer 7

System of political offices within the senate

Question 8

consul

Answer 8

2 of them
Had imperium
resided over the senate
Controls the army

Question 9

dictator

Answer 9

elected in time of crisis
For 6 months
Total imperium of both consuls
so could make all decisions by himself 
complete control of army

Question 10

populares

Answer 10

political party. ‘ For the people’
Wanted change in politics
however many of them wanted power for themselves and personal ambition
Noble senatorial families

Question 11

optimates

Answer 11

Aristocratic senatorial families
maintaining status quo
Normally made decisions which supported themselves and the aristocratic families

Question 12

amicitea

Answer 12

system of maintaining family ties and thus continued success of Roman elite families
Very important in politics

Question 13

Imicitea

Answer 13

where individual disagreements leads to hostility within families

Question 14

boni

Answer 14

men considered to be ideal politicians and statesmen

Question 15

stoicism

Answer 15

philosophical belief
virtue over everything else
we cannot control our own fate
soul over body

Question 16

Tiberius Gracchus

Answer 16

Tribune.
Reform land bill
Land from the city to the people who have been displace because of the war. very controversial, opposed by optimates

Question 17

Gaius Marius

Answer 17

Novus homo
Successful general
Seven consulships
Important as he was the first roman politician to show the political support a successful general could get from his veterans

Question 18

Pro’s of the Cursus Honorum

Answer 18

2 year gap between rising up political offices. 10 year gap between holding same political office. Ensured that the people who got consul had the necessary experience and qualifications. Stopped same person being consul
Tribune of the Plebs. Protected rights of people
Power of Veto was respected so democratic
Assemblies voted on magistracies so democratic as took into account the people views
Novus homo could climb the political ladder
Every position in CH is in pairs or more. Balances out curruption

Question 19

Cons of the Cursus Honorum

Answer 19

Personal ability did not mean you could rise the political ladder. You had to have amaicitea and clients. Bad for Rome as good politicians may have been overlooked
Veto and the Tribunes were often influenced and corrupted. Power was abused. See with populares and bypassing senate
Senate could pass decrees with out popular assemblies so anything they wanted could be passed with no say of people
The senatorial cliques was very exclusive. Hard to infilitrate
Many CH positions got people into debt. Like aedileship. Bad as could lead to corruption and problems in future.
Many irregular careers. Pompey and Marius who had 7 consulships