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

SENATTJS.

senators had no right to vote, they might,
when the real senators had voted, step over
or join the one or the other party, whence
they were called Senatores I'edarii, an appel-
.ation which had in former times been applied
to those juniores who were not consulars.
When at length all the state offices had be-
come equally accessible to the plebeians and
the patricians, and when the majority of
offices were held by the former, their number
in the senate naturally increased in propor-
tion. The senate had gradually become an
assembly representing the people, as formerly
it had represented the populus, and down to
the last century of the republic the senatorial
dignity was only regarded as one conferred
by the people. But notwithstanding this
apparently popular character of the senate,
it was never a popular or democratic assem-
bly, for now its members belonged to the
nobiles, who were as aristocratic as the pa-
tricians. [Nobii.es.] The office of princeps
senatus, which had become independent of
that of praetor urbanus, was now given
by the censors, and at first always to the
eldest among the ex-censors, but afterwards
to any other senator whom they thought
most worthy ; and unless there was any
charge to be made against him, he was
re-elected at the next lustrum. This dis-
tinction, however, great as it was, afforded
neither power nor advantages, and did not
even confer the privilege of presiding at the
meetings of the senate, which only belonged
to those magistrates who had the right of
convoking the senate.—During the repub-
lican period no senatorial census existed,
although senators naturally always belonged
to the wealthiest classes. The institution of
a census for senators belongs to the time of
the empire. Augustus first fixed it at 400,000
sesterces, afterwards increased it to double
this sum, and at last even to 1,200,000 ses-
terces. Those senators whose property did
not amount to this sum received grants from
the emperor to make it up. As regards the
age at which a person might become a se-
nator, we have no express statement for the
time of the republic, although it appears to
have been fixed by some custom or law, as
the aetas senatoria is frequently mentioned,
especially during the latter period of the
republic. But we may by induction discover
the probable age. We know that, according
to the lex annalis of the tribune Villius, the
age fixed for the quaestorship was 31. Now
as it might happen that a quaestor was made
a senator immediately after the expiration
of his office, we may presume that the
earliest age at which a man could become a
senator WW 82. Augustus at last fixed the

54 SENATUS.

senatorial age at 25, which appears to have
remained unaltered throughout the time of
the empire.—No senator was allowed to
carry on any mercantile business. About
the commencement of the second l'unic war,
some senators appear to have violated this
law or custom, and in order to prevent its
recurrence a law was passed, with the vehe-
ment opposition of the senate, that none of
its members should be permitted to possess a
ship of more than 300 amphorae in tonnage,
as this was thought sufficiently large to con-
vey to Borne the produce of their estates
abroad. It is clear, however, that this law
was frequently violated.—Regular meetings
of the senate (senatus leyitimus) took place
during the republic, and probably during the
kingly period also, on the calends, nones,
and ides of every month : extraordinary
meetings (senatus iiidictus) might be con-
voked on any other day, with the exception
of those which were atri, and those on which
comitia were held. The right of convoking
the senate during the kingly period belonged
to the king, or to his vicegerent, the custos
urbis. This right was during the republic
transferred to the curule magistrates, and at
last to the tribunes also. If a senator did
not appear on a day of meeting, he was
liable to a fine, for which a pledge was taken
(pignoris captio) until it was paid. Towards
the end of the republic it was decreed, that
during the whole month of February the senate
should give audience to foreign ambassadors
on all days on which the senate could law-
fully meet, and that no other matters
should be discussed until these affairs were
settled.—The places where the meetings of the
senate were held (curiae, senacula) were
always inaugurated by the augurs. [Tem-
plum.] The most ancient place was the
Curia Ilostilia, in which alone originally a
senatus-consultum , could be made. After-
wards, however, several temples were used
for this purpose, such as the temple of Con-
cordia, a place near the temple of Bellona
[Legatus], and one near the porta Capena.
Under the emperors the senate also met in
other places : under Caesar, the Curia Julia,
a building of extraordinary splendour, was
commenced ; but subsequently meetings of
the senate were frequently held in the house of
a consul.—The subjects laid before the senate
belonged partly to the internal affairs of the
state, partly to legislation, and partly to
finance ; and no measure could be brought
before the populus without having previously
been discussed and prepared by the senate,
The senate was thus the medium through
which all affairs of the whole government
had to pass: it considered and discussed