The Roman Senate and the post-Sullan res publica
From the journalHistoria Historia,Volume 63, September 2014, issue 3
Published by Franz Steiner Verlag
article, 9429 Words
Original language: English
Historia 2014, pp 323-339
https://doi.org/10.25162/historia-2014-0018
Abstract
This article assesses the significance of the modifications to Sulla’s constitution introduced during the 70s. It argues the post-Sullan senate was in effect divided into two groups, those who sought and held imperium-bearing magistracies and those who did not: the latter group’s experience of senatorial status was of jury service and senatorial debate. The 70s seemed to mark the decisive triumph of the former group within the Senate, but as the membership of the Senate remained unchanged the Senate’s overall weakness within the res publica persisted.