Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

QUAESTOR. 317

pointed, though probably no longer by the
curies, but either in the comitia centuriata'or
tribute, which they therefore must have had
the right of assembling in cases of emergency.
From the year b. c. 366 they are no longer
mentioned in Roman history, as their func-
tions were gradually transferred to the
triumviri capitales. [Triumviri Capitales.]
—The Qttaestores Classici, usually called Qitaes-
tores simply, were officers entrusted with the
care of the public money. They were elected
by the centuries, and the office is said to
have been first instituted by Valerius Publi-
cola. They were at first only two in number,
and of course taken only from the patricians.
As the senate had the supreme administration
of the finances, the quaestors were in some
measure only its agents or paymasters, for
they could not dispose of any part of the
public money without being directed by the
senate. Their duties consequently consisted
in making the necessary payments from the
aerarium, and receiving the public revenues.
Of both they had to keep correct accounts in
their tabulae publicae. Demands which any
one might have on the aerarium, and out-
standing debts, were likewise registered by
them. Fines to be paid to the public treasury
were registered and exacted by them. Another
branch of their duties, which, however, was
likewise connected with the treasury, was to
provide the proper accommodation for foreign
ambassadors, and such persons as were connect-
ed with the republic by ties of public hospitality.
■—In b.c. 421 the number of quaestors was
doubled, and the tribunes tried to effect, by
an amendment of the law, that a part (proba-
bly two) of the quacstores should be plebeians.
This attempt was indeed frustrated, but the
interrex L. Papirius effected a compromise,
that the election should not be restricted to
either order. After this law was carried,
eleven years passed without any plebeian
being elected to the office : at last, in b. c.
409, three of the four quaestors were ple-
beians. A person who had held the office of
quaestor had undoubtedly, as in later times,
the right to take his seat in the senate, unless
he was excluded as unworthy by the next
censors. And this was probably the reason
why the patricians so resolutely opposed the
admission of plebeians to this office. Hence-
forth the consuls, whenever they took the
field against an enemy, were accompanied
by one quaestor each, who at first had only
to superintend the sale of the boot}-, the
produce of which was either divided among
the legion, or was transferred to the aerarium.
Subsequently, however, we find that these
quaestors also kept the funds of the army,
which they had received from the treasury at

QUAESTOR.

Rome, and gave the soldiers their pay; they
were in fact the pay-masters of the army.
The two other quaestors, who remained at
Rome, continued to discharge the same duties
as before, and were distinguished from those
who accompanied the consuls by the epithet
wbani. In b. c. 265, after the Romans had
made themselves masters of Italy, and when,
in consequence, the administration of the
treasury and the raising of the revenues
became more laborious and important, the
number of quaestors was again doubled to
eight ; and it is probable that henceforth
their number continued to be increased in
proportion as the empire became extended.
One of the eight quaestors was appointed by
lot to the Quaestura Ostiensis, a most labo-
rious and important post, as he had to pro-
vide Rome with corn. Besides the quaestor
Ostiensis, who resided at Ostia, three other
quaestors were distributed in Italy, to raise
those parts of the revenue which were not
fanned by the publicani, and to control the
latter. One of them resided at Cales, and
the two others probably in towns on the
Upper Sea. The two remaining quaestors
were sent to Sicily.—Sulla, in his dictator-
ship, raised the number of quaestors to
twenty, that he might have a large number
of candidates for the senate, and J. Caesar
even to forty. In the year b. c. 49 no quaes-
tors were elected, and Caesar transferred the
keeping of the aerarium to the aediles. From
this time forward the treasury was sometimes
entrusted to the praetors, sometimes to the
praetorii, and sometimes again to quaestors.
[Aerarium.] Quaestors, however, both in
the city and in the provinces, occur down to
the latest period of the empire. The pro-
consul or praetor, who had the administration
of a province, was attended by a quaestor.
This quaestor had undoubtedly to perform
the same functions as those who accompanied
the armies into the field ; they were in fact
the same officers, with the exception that the
former were stationary in their province
during the time of their office, and had con-
sequently rights and duties which those who
accompanied the armies could not have. In
the provinces the quaestors had the same
jurisdiction as the curule aediles at Rome.
The relation existing between a praetor or
proconsul of a province and his quaestor was,
according to ancient custom, regarded as
resembling that between a father and his
son. When a quaestor died in his province,
the praetors hud the right of appointing a
proquaestor in his stead; and when the
praetor was absent, the quaestor supplied his
place, and was then attended by lictors. In
what manner the provinces were assigned to