What Was The Roman Senate

The Roman Senate

The Roman Senate was political institution in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city. The Roman Senate functioned as an advisory body to Rome's magistrates and, composed as it was of the city's most experienced public servants and society's elite, its decisions carried great weight, even if they were not always converted into laws in practice. The Senate continued to exert influence on government in the imperial period, albeit to a lesser degree and despite the increase in the army's intervention in politics and its manipulation in both membership and sessions by successive emperors. The institution outlasted all emperors, and senators
Many of these rules and procedures originated in the early years of the Republic, and were upheld over the centuries under the principle of mos maiorum ("customs of the ancestors"). While Senate meetings could take place either inside or outside of the formal boundary of the city (the pomerium), no meeting could take place more than a mile outside of the pomerium.Senate meetings might take place outside of the formal boundary of the city for several reasons. For example, the Senate might wish to meet with an individual, such as a foreign ambassador, whom they did not wish to allow inside the city.At the beginning of the year, the first Senate meeting always took place at the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. Other venues could include the Temple of Fides or the Temple of Concord, or, if the meeting was outside of the formal boundary of the city, at the Temple of Apollo or (if a war meeting) at the Temple of Bellona. In addition, the Senate operated while under various religious restrictions. For example, before any meeting could begin, a sacrifice to the gods was made, and a search for divine omens (the auspices) was taken. The auspices were taken in order to determine whether that particular Senate meeting held favor with the gods] The Senate was only allowed to meet in a building of religious significance, such as the Curia Hostilia.The ethical requirements of senators were significant. Senators could
Julius Caesar Instigated reforms in the mid-1st century BCE, gave out membership to his supporters, and extended it to include important individuals from cities other than Rome so that there were then 900 senators. Augustus subsequently reduced the membership to around 600. The senators were led by the princeps senatus, who always spoke first in debates. The position became less important in the final years of the Republic, but it was brought back to prominence under Augustus. The formal function of the senate was to advise the magistrates (a civil officer or lay judge who administers the law, especially one who conducts a court that deals with minor offenses and holds preliminary hearings for more serious ones) with degrees and resolutions. Its decisions were given weight by the fact that many senators were themselves ex- magistrates and so votes were rare.There is evidence that the Senate was not wholly composed of members of the aristocratic patrician class, even if they formed the majority of its members. Some non-senators - magistrates of certain kinds such as tribunes, aediles and later quaestors - could attend and speak in sessions of the Senate. Invariably, such members were made full senators in the next censorship.