The Roman Senate was the council of senior Romans that guided the state, first under the kings, then through the Republic and into the empire. In the Republic it directed money, foreign affairs and the provinces. Under the emperors it kept its prestige but lost real power.
Key takeaways
- Tradition said Romulus created the Senate with 100 members; after the kings it grew to 300 [1].
- In the Republic the Senate controlled state finances, foreign affairs and the oversight of provinces [1].
- Asia, a province Rome gained in 133 BC by a bequest, was later one of the great senatorial posts.
- Under the empire real authority moved to the emperor, who controlled the Senate [1].
How the Senate worked
The Senate was a council of leading Romans. Tradition said that Romulus, the first king, created it with 100 members, and that their descendants became the patricians [1]. After the monarchy ended the number grew to 300 [1]. Later it grew further, and Augustus reduced it from 900 to 600 [1].
Under the Republic, the Senate was the central organ of government. It controlled state finances, directed the magistrates, handled foreign affairs and oversaw the provinces. Its decrees, called senatus consulta, were advice in form but were usually obeyed [1]. Senators did not rule alone: the annual magistrates such as the consuls carried out the decisions, and the assemblies passed laws. The Senate also decided which magistrate should govern which province [1].
Membership was not by election to the Senate itself. Under the Republic the censors controlled the list, and holding a magistracy gave a seat. Senators were appointed for life and could be removed only for misconduct [2]. Under the empire one could enter by being elected quaestor or by an imperial decree [1]. The Senate met in a building called the Curia, in Rome [1].
When Augustus took power, the Senate remained in place, but real authority moved to the emperor, who controlled it. Its decrees gained the force of law, and it took over some powers from the popular assemblies [1]. Senators still held many posts, including governorships of senatorial provinces. The Senate in Rome shrank in importance, and the Western Senate disappeared around the early seventh century. A Senate also existed at Constantinople [1].
An example from our data
The Senate sent governors to Rome's provinces, and our data shows how many provinces needed them. In 133 BC, the map's event is "Pergamon is bequeathed to Rome; Numantia falls in Spain". The wealthy kingdom of Pergamon was left to Rome in a will and became the core of the province of Asia. Our data gives its province, Asia, Bithynia et Pontus and Thracia, annexation in 129 BC, with its capital at Ephesus. In the empire this province, Asia, was one of two top senatorial posts, given only to former consuls [3].
In 44 BC the event was "Julius Caesar is assassinated; Gaul has been conquered". Julius Caesar was killed by a group of senators, and the year page shows the empire he left, 1.97 million km² with 28 provinces held. By AD 14 the map counts 36 provinces held, and an emperor, Augustus, had just died (year page). The homepage section on the expansion of the empire tells how this grew.
The thing people get wrong
The Senate is often described as if it were a modern parliament, with elected members voting on laws. It was not. Senators were not elected to it as a body, their decrees were advice in form, and its power rested on prestige and experience [1]. The assemblies of the people passed laws, and magistrates held the executive power.
Another mistake is to think the Senate vanished the day Augustus took power. It lasted for centuries, with senators carrying on in office. It lost its independence rather than its existence [1].
Frequently asked questions
How many senators were there?
The number changed. Tradition gave 100 at the start, then 300 after the kings. Augustus cut it from 900 to 600.
Could ordinary people become senators?
Not directly. Under the Republic, senators were chosen by censors, and holding a magistracy gave a seat. Under the empire one could enter by being elected quaestor or by imperial decree.
Did the Senate end when Rome fell?
No. The Senate in Rome survived in a reduced form until about the early seventh century, and a Senate continued in Constantinople.
Sources
- Roman Senate, Wikipedia.
- Roman Republic, Wikipedia.
- Roman province, Wikipedia.
- Every figure from our own map is worked out from the datasets on the data sources page (checked against Ancient World Mapping Center outlines and Pleiades).