Roman Senate

E5863

The Roman Senate was the principal political institution of ancient Rome, composed of aristocratic members who advised magistrates, influenced legislation, and guided state policy throughout the Republic and into the Empire.


Statements (58)
Predicate Object
instanceOf advisory council
deliberative assembly
legislative body
political institution
advised Roman aediles
Roman censors
Roman consuls
Roman dictators
Roman magistrates
Roman praetors
ceremonialRoleInPeriod Principate
composedOf senators
continuedInPeriod Roman Empire
controlled assignment of provincial commands
state treasury
couldDeclare senatus consultum ultimum
country Ancient Rome
emergencyPower authorization of dictatorship
establishedInPeriod Roman Kingdom
governed Roman provinces
guided Roman state policy
hadAuthorityOver foreign policy
provincial administration
public religion
state finances
war and peace decisions
heldDeFactoPower Roman Republic
influenced Roman legislation
influencedBy optimates
populares
issued senatus consultum
languageUsed Latin
laterIncluded plebeians
locatedIn Roman Forum
Rome
lostPowerTo Roman emperors
memberOfClass Roman aristocracy
membershipBasis former magistrates
membershipSelectedBy censors
metAt Curia Julia
playedKeyRoleIn transition from Republic to Empire
precedentFor modern senates
reformedBy Augustus
Julius Caesar
Sulla
religiousFunction consultation of Sibylline Books
oversight of state cults
significantInPeriod Roman Republic
sizeIncreasedTo 600 senators
900 senators
socialClassBasis patricians
supervised public works
state contracts
typeOfAct senatorial decree
typicalSize 300 senators
usedBuilding Curia Cornelia
Curia Hostilia
Curia Julia

Referenced by (42)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Antoninus Pius
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
Petronius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus
Seneca the Younger
memberOf
Caligula
Rostra
Temple of Saturn
associatedWith
Late Roman Republic
Roman Empire
Roman Republic
legislativeBody
Gordian III
Herod the Great
appointedBy
Forum Romanum ("Roman Senate (in antiquity)")
Romans
governedBy
Curia Cornelia
Illyricum
governingBody
Claudius Pompeianus
affiliation
Cicero ("Senate of the Roman Republic")
ally
Arch of Constantine
builtBy
Trajan
deifiedBy
Roman Antiquity
governmentCenter
Roman emperors
hasAuthorityOver
Caesar’s civil war
hasBelligerent
Roman Kingdom
hasInstitution
First siege of Rome by Alaric (408)
hasOpposingCommander
Roman civil wars
hasParticipant
Roman Kingdom
legislature
Kingdom of Odoacer ("Roman Senate in Rome")
maintained
Ostrogothic Kingdom ("Roman Senate in Rome")
maintainedInstitution
Avitus
opponent
First siege of Rome by Alaric (408)
opposedBy
Sack of Rome (455) ("Roman Senate (collective leadership)")
opposingCommander
Lucius Aemilius Paullus
politicalEntity
Social War ("senate of Italia")
rebelInstitution
Libius Severus
recognizedBy
Julius Caesar
reformed
Roman religion
regulatedBy
Pompey the Great
supportedBy
Optimates
supportedInstitution
Roman Empire ("SPQR")
symbol
Curia Cornelia
usedBy

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