DOCSLIB.ORG

The Government of Rome and the Cursus Honorum Edited

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Government of Rome and the Cursus Honorum Edited The Government of Rome and the Cursus Honorum The structure of Rome’s government is difficult to define. It was complicated, changed quite drastically over Rome’s history and many details are disputed. The ruling of Rome begins with the mythical twin brothers Romulus and Remus. Romulus is said to have built up the first walls of the city and killed his own brother for crossing them without permission. Indeed, the name Rome is said to have come from Romulus, who became the first king of Rome. A line of kings then ruled Rome, though whether or not they truly existed, and how exaggerated are their deeds, is unknown. The rule of the kings is said to have ended very badly and it is at this time that Rome is to have begun ruling through a senate—a group of elected officials. Eventually this larger group would become more of an advisory board, but they were still made up of the most influential and powerful men of Rome. Their advice was, therefore, very rarely ignored without very great consequences. All senators had also once held an office within the more formal outline of Rome’s governing body. These offices had to be filled in order, creating a political ladder that ambitious Roman men climbed to become the leaders of Rome during the era of the Roman Republic. This ladder is referred to as the cursus honorum. The lowest office that could be held was that of quaestor. For most of Rome’s history, only a man who had completed ten years of military service could run for the office of quaestor. The quaestors took care of a lot of administration and served as assistants for governors. Most importantly, once this position was attained, the individual was a member of the senate for life. The aediles were next up the ladder and were made up of men from the highest and lowest social levels, patrician and plebeian. The aediles had administrative duties, but were also in charge of many religious tasks; e.g., public works and temples. To become a praetor, the next step up the ladder, you did not have to serve as an aedile, but you had to have been a quaestor. These men were very powerful and served as the judges of Rome. They would also serve as consul when the elected consul was away from the city. Consul was the highest ruling office attained while climbing the cursus honorum. Two consuls were in charge of leading Rome: they were the heads of the senate and the military commanders of the city. Censor was one step higher than consul, though they were not a ruling official. They took the census and assigned people to different voting categories based on status, wealth and location. As such, they held great power as they were in charge of keeping the records of both the citizens and members of the senate. Officially in charge of public morality, they could deem an individual unfit for their status and put them in a lower class. Above all these ranks was that of dictator. Dictators were appointed to lead the army and rule the city during emergencies; e.g., great wars. They were not to hold power for more than six months. Outside of the Cursus honorum was also the office of the tribune. The tribune was created to protect the rights of the plebeians, the lower and largest class of Roman people. Their most useful power was that of the vetothat could stop legislation that was unfair toward the people. After Caesar took power and proclaimed himself dictator for life, he drew the anger of the senate. It was these men who eventually murdered him. After his death and a period of chaotic rule, Augustus took power as princeps senatus, officially only head of the senate, but in actual fact, his position was closer to that of an emperor. After this, the Roman Empire replaced that of the Republic, with emperors ruling at the head of Rome as the chief magistrate, priest and military general, and usually leaving their positions to their sons or other male relatives. The senate and the cursus honorum still stayed in place—although other positions were added, the numbers of offices were changed, and the tasks of the ranks changed, always with the emperor having the final say. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Politics of Roman Memory in the Age of Justinian DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the D
    The Politics of Roman Memory in the Age of Justinian DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Marion Woodrow Kruse, III Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Anthony Kaldellis, Advisor; Benjamin Acosta-Hughes; Nathan Rosenstein Copyright by Marion Woodrow Kruse, III 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the use of Roman historical memory from the late fifth century through the middle of the sixth century AD. The collapse of Roman government in the western Roman empire in the late fifth century inspired a crisis of identity and political messaging in the eastern Roman empire of the same period. I argue that the Romans of the eastern empire, in particular those who lived in Constantinople and worked in or around the imperial administration, responded to the challenge posed by the loss of Rome by rewriting the history of the Roman empire. The new historical narratives that arose during this period were initially concerned with Roman identity and fixated on urban space (in particular the cities of Rome and Constantinople) and Roman mythistory. By the sixth century, however, the debate over Roman history had begun to infuse all levels of Roman political discourse and became a major component of the emperor Justinian’s imperial messaging and propaganda, especially in his Novels. The imperial history proposed by the Novels was aggressivley challenged by other writers of the period, creating a clear historical and political conflict over the role and import of Roman history as a model or justification for Roman politics in the sixth century.
    [Show full text]
  • WHY JULIAN BELIEVED CORRECT WORSHIP of the GODS COULD SAVE the ROMAN EMPIRE from CHAOS a Thesis Presented to the Faculty Of
    WHY JULIAN BELIEVED CORRECT WORSHIP OF THE GODS COULD SAVE THE ROMAN EMPIRE FROM CHAOS A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the Department of Humanities and Religious Studies California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Humanities by Alejandra Meléndez-Silva SPRING 2020 WHY JULIAN BELIEVED CORRECT WORSHIP OF THE GODS COULD SAVE THE ROMAN EMPIRE FROM CHAOS A Thesis by Alejandra Meléndez-Silva Approved by: _________________________________, Committee Chair Dr. Jeffrey Brodd _________________________________, Second Reader Dr. Bradley Nystrom __________________ Date ii Student: Alejandra Meléndez-Silva I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and this thesis is suitable for electronic submission to the library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. ___________________________, Graduate Coordinator _____________________ Dr. Harvey Stark Date Department of Humanities and Religious Studies iii Abstract of WHY JULIAN BELIEVED CORRECT WORSHIP OF THE GODS COULD SAVE THE ROMAN EMPIRE FROM CHAOS by Alejandra Meléndez-Silva The Roman emperor Julian is famously remembered for being Rome’s last pagan emperor and he has been vilified for his dislike of Christianity. Sufficient analysis of Julian’s own perspective reveals a complex individual who does not conform with the simplified caricature of Julian “the Apostate” who was focused on assailing Christianity. His aversion to the Christians was mainly motivated by the fact that they refused to participate in the state cult. This thesis will explore the relationship between properly honoring the gods and state health, its origins, and why it was essential to sacrifice to the gods.
    [Show full text]
  • RICE, CARL ROSS. Diocletian's “Great
    ABSTRACT RICE, CARL ROSS. Diocletian’s “Great Persecutions”: Minority Religions and the Roman Tetrarchy. (Under the direction of Prof. S. Thomas Parker) In the year 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the other members of the Tetrarchy launched a series of persecutions against Christians that is remembered as the most severe, widespread, and systematic persecution in the Church’s history. Around that time, the Tetrarchy also issued a rescript to the Pronconsul of Africa ordering similar persecutory actions against a religious group known as the Manichaeans. At first glance, the Tetrarchy’s actions appear to be the result of tensions between traditional classical paganism and religious groups that were not part of that system. However, when the status of Jewish populations in the Empire is examined, it becomes apparent that the Tetrarchy only persecuted Christians and Manichaeans. This thesis explores the relationship between the Tetrarchy and each of these three minority groups as it attempts to understand the Tetrarchy’s policies towards minority religions. In doing so, this thesis will discuss the relationship between the Roman state and minority religious groups in the era just before the Empire’s formal conversion to Christianity. It is only around certain moments in the various religions’ relationships with the state that the Tetrarchs order violence. Consequently, I argue that violence towards minority religions was a means by which the Roman state policed boundaries around its conceptions of Roman identity. © Copyright 2016 Carl Ross Rice All Rights Reserved Diocletian’s “Great Persecutions”: Minority Religions and the Roman Tetrarchy by Carl Ross Rice A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts History Raleigh, North Carolina 2016 APPROVED BY: ______________________________ _______________________________ S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cursus Honorum
    itself, but they did possess the same rights: of calling a session of the senate and of vetoing proposals and decrees. Theonly emperors between Augustus and Hadrian not to hold these powers were Galba, Otho, and Vitellius.17 Thesethree were military leaders, and took power through the forceof their soldiers, though by no means were they the only ones to rise in this way. They each ruled onlybriefly and, along with Vespasian, their reigns have come to be knowncollectively asthe year of fouremperors. Theseemperors did not earnthe same right to rule, because they took control by force, without any attempt to smooth the situation or any pretense of observing laws or customs. While be was dictator, Julius Caesar instituted severalchanges in the political structure of Rome, modifications which Augustus retained. Caesar reduced the office of the consulship to a powerless honor, since allother magistrates were subordinate to him as a perpetual dictator. The high office still had a great amount of prestige, and the Caesars exploited this fact to reward their loyal supporters.18 Other changes included lowering the required ages for entering the competition for the cursushonorum, which meant that more men would be competing each year for the small number of offices.19 He also introduced a new entry�level office, the vigintiviri;there were twentyseats, and the officerswere assigned to assistvarious positions within the government. A man could not proceed through the cursus honorumwithout earningthis rank first.20 By the time of Claudius, the gap between the active republican senate and the rising direct control of the emperor was apparent.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Rome
    A History of Knowledge Oldest Knowledge What the Jews knew What the Sumerians knew What the Christians knew What the Babylonians knew Tang & Sung China What the Hittites knew What the Japanese knew What the Persians knew What the Muslims knew What the Egyptians knew The Middle Ages What the Indians knew Ming & Manchu China What the Chinese knew The Renaissance What the Greeks knew The Industrial Age What the Phoenicians knew The Victorian Age What the Romans knew The Modern World What the Barbarians knew 1 What the Romans knew Piero Scaruffi 2004 "We declare, proclaim and define that subjection to the Roman authority is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature" (Pope Boniface, 1302) 2 What the Romans knew • Bibliography – Henri Sierlin: The Roman Empire (2002 – David Abulafia: The Mediterranean in History (2003) – Duby & Perrot: A History of Women in the West vol 1 (1992) – John Norwich: A short history of Byzantium (1995) – Kevin Butcher: Roman Syria (2003) – Tomlinson: Greek And Roman Architecture (1995) – Giovanni Becatti: The Art of Ancient Greece and Rome (1968) – Marvin Tameanko: Monumental Coins (1999) – Will Durant: Caesar and Christ (1944) 3 The Villanovans • 1000 BC: Iron civilization lives in northern Italy, probably not Indo-European • Cremation of the dead, and urns for ashes • 1000 BC: Indo-Europeans invade northern Italy 4 The Etruscans • 850 BC: Middle-eastern people (Villanovans?) settle inTuscany • 750 BC: first Etruscan inscriptions • Only one manuscript survives • Not Indo-European • Confederation
    [Show full text]
  • The Rhetoric of Corruption in Late Antiquity
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE The Rhetoric of Corruption in Late Antiquity A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics by Tim W. Watson June 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Michele R. Salzman, Chairperson Dr. Harold A. Drake Dr. Thomas N. Sizgorich Copyright by Tim W. Watson 2010 The Dissertation of Tim W. Watson is approved: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In accordance with that filial piety so central to the epistolary persona of Q. Aurelius Symmachus, I would like to thank first and foremost my parents, Lee and Virginia Watson, without whom there would be quite literally nothing, followed closely by my grandmother, Virginia Galbraith, whose support both emotionally and financially has been invaluable. Within the academy, my greatest debt is naturally to my advisor, Michele Salzman, a doctissima patrona of infinite patience and firm guidance, to whom I came with the mind of a child and departed with the intellect of an adult. Hal Drake I owe for his kind words, his critical eye, and his welcome humor. In Tom Sizgorich I found a friend and colleague whose friendship did not diminish even after he assumed his additional role as mentor. Outside the field, I owe a special debt to Dale Kent, who ushered me through my beginning quarter of graduate school with great encouragement and first stirred my fascination with patronage. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to the two organizations who have funded the years of my study, the Department of History at the University of California, Riverside and the Department of Classics at the University of California, Irvine.
    [Show full text]
  • First Triumvirate and Rise of Octavian BY: Jake, Eliza and Maheen First Triumvirate
    First Triumvirate and Rise of Octavian BY: Jake, Eliza and Maheen First Triumvirate • An alliance of the three most powerful men in Rome, Marcus Licinus Crassus, Gaius Julius Caesar, and Gneaus Pompey Magnus. Rome was in chaos and the 3 seized control of the Republic. • The three would dominate Roman politics for personal gains throughout the territories of the Republic. Julius Caesar • In Rome, Julius Caesar was elected as the tribune of the Plebs, military tribune, and governor of many provinces throughout the Republic. • Believed Crassus helped Julius Caesar win the election to become the Propraetor or governor of Hispania in 63 B.C.E. • Julius returned to Rome after his term as governor. Caesar had a business or political agreement with Pompey and Crassus in 60 B.C.E. Caesar was the consul while Pompey and Crassus were in the senate. • Created the First Triumvirate • After his term, Julius was in deeply in debt politically and financially to Crassus and desperately needed to raise money. Marcus Crassus • Crassus was the richest man in all the Roman Republic. He was sharp and clever in Roman politics. He would be a senator and even become consul a few times. • He was a mentor to Julius Caesar in his early career. • Gained much fame during the Spartacus rebellion but much of it was stolen by Pompey. • He was a longtime rival to Pompey Magnus and this would be his eventually downfall. He would ally with Caesar and Pompey, but strived for military victory over Pompey. He went to Parthia where he was defeated at Carrhae.
    [Show full text]
  • The Burial of the Urban Poor in Italy in the Late Republic and Early Empire
    Death, disposal and the destitute: The burial of the urban poor in Italy in the late Republic and early Empire Emma-Jayne Graham Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Archaeology University of Sheffield December 2004 IMAGING SERVICES NORTH Boston Spa, Wetherby West Yorkshire, LS23 7BQ www.bl.uk The following have been excluded from this digital copy at the request of the university: Fig 12 on page 24 Fig 16 on page 61 Fig 24 on page 162 Fig 25 on page 163 Fig 26 on page 164 Fig 28 on page 168 Fig 30on page 170 Fig 31 on page 173 Abstract Recent studies of Roman funerary practices have demonstrated that these activities were a vital component of urban social and religious processes. These investigations have, however, largely privileged the importance of these activities to the upper levels of society. Attempts to examine the responses of the lower classes to death, and its consequent demands for disposal and commemoration, have focused on the activities of freedmen and slaves anxious to establish or maintain their social position. The free poor, living on the edge of subsistence, are often disregarded and believed to have been unceremoniously discarded within anonymous mass graves (puticuli) such as those discovered at Rome by Lanciani in the late nineteenth century. This thesis re-examines the archaeological and historical evidence for the funerary practices of the urban poor in Italy within their appropriate social, legal and religious context. The thesis attempts to demonstrate that the desire for commemoration and the need to provide legitimate burial were strong at all social levels and linked to several factors common to all social strata.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Rome
    Ancient Rome William E. Dunstan ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK ................. 17856$ $$FM 09-09-10 09:17:21 PS PAGE iii Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom Copyright ᭧ 2011 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. All maps by Bill Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. The cover image shows a marble bust of the nymph Clytie; for more information, see figure 22.17 on p. 370. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dunstan, William E. Ancient Rome / William E. Dunstan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7425-6832-7 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-7425-6833-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-7425-6834-1 (electronic) 1. Rome—Civilization. 2. Rome—History—Empire, 30 B.C.–476 A.D. 3. Rome—Politics and government—30 B.C.–476 A.D. I. Title. DG77.D86 2010 937Ј.06—dc22 2010016225 ⅜ϱ ீThe paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/ NISO Z39.48–1992. Printed in the United States of America ................
    [Show full text]
  • The Roman Republic: Lesson Plan
    The Roman Republic: Separation of Powers - History of Global Democracies Series | Academy 4 Social Change The Roman Republic: Lesson Plan Topic The Republic is the period in Roman history dating from the end of the reign of Rome’s last king in 509 B.C. to the ascension of Augustus in 27 B.C. that marked the beginning of the Roman Empire. During this time, elite Roman men pursuing political careers tried to work their way up the highly competitive hierarchy of political offices called the cursus honorum in order to gain more prestige and power. The highest annually occurring office in Rome was that of the consul, held by two men each year. In addition to Rome’s various magistrates, there was a powerful advisory body called the senate, as well as citizen assemblies that elected officeholders and voted on proposed laws, trials, and military decisions. Possible subjects/classes Time needed ● Government ● History 30-45 minutes ● Politics ● Philosophy Video link: https://academy4sc.org/topic/the-roman-republic-separation-of-powers/ Objective: What will students know/be able to do at the end of class? Students will be able to... ● Describe the three major areas of the government under the Roman Republic. ● Explain how the Roman Republic incorporated the concept of separation of powers. Key Concepts & Vocabulary republic, cursus honorum, consul, senate, assembly Materials Needed Worksheet, computers The Roman Republic: Separation of Powers - History of Global Democracies Series | Academy 4 Social Change Before you watch Turn & Talk: What does the phrase “separation of powers” mean to you? What about “checks and balances?” Have students discuss their answers in small groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesson Two--Rep To
    Lesson Two: Rome’s Shift From a Republic to an Empire (Important Note: This lesson might work better being taught in 2 days. Review the lesson carefully before teaching. Perhaps the Republic to Caesar to Empire Reading and Word Wall could be made longer with a longer discussion and then the primary source and monument analyses can be accomplished the next day.) Lesson overview: Briefly remind students of yesterday’s lesson, emphasizing the process of reviewing each of Rome’s historical paradigms through analyzing primary sources and monuments and symbols. Once again review the essential question and remind students of the upcoming final assessment project. Then briefly overview the activities for today’s lesson. Students will then complete a KWL chart on the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. They will then read and report to each other on the “Rome to Caesar to Empire” reading in groups. After this, students will stay in groups and analyze the primary sources and monuments reflecting the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. Finally, the lesson will close with students completing a word wall using the “Rome to Caesar to Empire” reading and their primary source readings. This lesson satisfies the following Common Core and Career Readiness Standards for grades 6-12: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/ social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
    [Show full text]
  • The Sigma Chi Fraternity
    THE SIGMA CHI FRATERNITY Quaestor Manual Version 1.1.2017 10 0 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: TIMELINE AND CHECKLISTS Annual Quarterly/Semesterly Monthly (Bi-weekly) Weekly SECTION 2: CONTACTS Chapter and Province 10 Local Financial and Business University International SECTION 3: RELATIONSHIPS Team Based Financial Management International Fraternity University Local Businesses 20 SECTION 4: PLANNING The Balance Sheet Financial Goals Budgeting SECTION 5: OPERATIONS Banking Checks Handling Cash Debit and Credit Cards 30 Collections and Suspension Giving End of Year and Taxes SECTION 6: ACCOUNTING AND BILLING QuickBooks Online GreekBill Inc. SECTION 7: THE TRANSITION 40 SECTION 8: GENERAL FRATERNITY FINANCIAL BYLAWS AND INDEX OF ONLINE RESOURCES compiled and edited by PHILIP P. PATTEN, PUGET SOUND 2000 50 Please send questions, comments, and suggestions to: [email protected] 1 SECTION 1 Timeline and Checklists ANNUAL QUARTERLY/SEMESTERLY MONTHLY WEEKLY 10 20 2 Annual Tasks April / After Election ¨ Meet with the former Quaestor. ¨ Transition as detailed in Section 7: The Transition. ¨ Review your duties as Quaestor. ¨ Examine all information pertinent to your office, including: o Officer binder/Standard Operating Procedures (SOP); o Chapter bylaws; o Accounting system. Also review: 10 § Outstanding balances due from members; § Members/alumni/ex-members in collections; § Payments due and upcoming. ¨ Contact your chapter advisor or financial advisor for additional training. ¨ Attend executive committee retreat with chapter advisor/advisory board. o Develop a strategic plan for the upcoming year. o Set annual calendar. o Finalize budget(s). Including: § Dues; § Officer-specific and event-specific budgets; 20 § Schedule of cashflows. o 30-day/90-day action plans leading up to end of academic year/Balfour Leadership Training Workshop.
    [Show full text]