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What 3 factors influenced Augutsus' relationship with the Senate?
- His own experiences with Julius Ceasar
- His own conservative views
- His need for help in the running of the empire
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What qualities did Augustus want to restore to the Senate
- Dignity
- Worthiness
- Traditional desire
- Competition (hence the 6 month consulships)
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Name 3 things the Senate could do under Augustus
- They controlled the treasury
- They administered the more peaceful provinces
- They could vote honours to Augustus
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What did Augutsus share with the Senate and what did he not share?
Work but not power
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How does Augustus tackle the problem of "tone" in the Senate
He removed a large number of disreputable characters
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How does suetonius refer to the less salubrious members of the senate
A "coarse and ungainly crowd"
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How many times does suetonius say Augustus revised the senatorial role
Twice (although there is some dispute about this)
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How many senators does suetonius say there was
1,000
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Who had previous sorted out corruption in the Senate
Sulla
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What are the "trappings of senatorial order" that 50 men who resigned were able to keep
They got to keep the stripe on their toga and watch public shows from the orchestra seats
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How many senators did Augutsus reduce the Senate to
600 and so reversed sulla's lex annalis which had increased it to 1000
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What does suetonius tell us about augustus and the sons of senators
- When they came of age they were able to attend Senate meetings
- Got to wear the tunic with the broad purple stripe
- They should familiarise themselves with administration
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Which class did Augustus permit to join the Senate
The equites
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What was the monetary qualification laid down by suetonius for entry into the Senate
1.2 million secertes
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How did augustus help some senators without capital remain within the class - quote
"he made up the deficit from the privy purse"
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What does suetonius tell us senators did before taking their places
Had to offer wine and incense
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How does Augustus refer to the plebs according to suetonius
"a pack of shameless rascals"
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What else does Augustus do for the plebs
- The building program (provided employment)
- He ensured their loyalty as he gave himself the tribunician power (he spoke for them)
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Name 2 advantages of the status of freedmen in augustan rome
- They got quasi citizenship rights and their sons got the full citizenship
- They could make money
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Name 2 disadvantages of the status of freedmen in augustan rome
- There was a tax on freedom (ie upon their release)
- Augustus passed legislation to make it harder to free slaves
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What did Augutsus do about non-attendance of senators
He increased the fines and forbade them from leaving Italy without permission
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Instead of taking it in turns to talk how were they nominated to speak
Augustus chose them at random
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How many sessions of the senate a month were there according to suetonius
2
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Who prepared business to be submitted to the Senate
Quorums
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What extra things did ex consuls do under Augustus
- They had Proconsulships in the provinces
- They directed administrative boards
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How long did Augutsus reduce the length of consulship to
- 6 months in 5BCE
- He also opened it up to new men : they would then think kindly of him and support him
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What extra things did preators do under Augustus
- There were 2 managing the state treasury
- 3 ex preators were in charge of the military treasury
- They took over from the aediles in organising games and festivals
- They were also still in charge of urban jurisdiction
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What did the aediles lose under Augustus which the queastors then gained
- 22BCE lost control of the games and festivals (queastors didn't gain this though the preators did)
- 22BCE lost control of the corn supply
- 11BCE water supply
- AD 6 fire control
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What became of the role of the tribune under Augustus
- Became pointless / ceased to be of importance
- Augustus wanted all the power and so they lost the power to veto
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In helping the equites by giving them extra duties what did Augustus create
The civil service
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What did equestrians have to do before embarking in an administrative career
Military service
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Qualifications for membership of the equestrian order
- Be of honorable character
- Have a census rating of at least 400,000
- Be approved by augustus
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What did augustus do sort out the plebs
Cash donations and he provided grain from his own granary
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What did membership of the equestrian order allow men to do/have
- To sir on the juries
- Have a toga with a narrow purple stripe
- Gold ring
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Where in the res gestae does augustus mention his involvement with the plebs
Paragraph 15
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What does suetonius say Augustus made the donations for
It wasn't to make himself popular but to improve public health
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What did Augutsus learn from Caesar's experience with the senate
- Ceasar (towards the end) had shown quite open disdain for the senate and had blocked the ambitions of prominent men by holding so many top positions himself
- Augustus realised that the traditional desires of members of the senatorial order to compete had to be allowed
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What roles and powers did the senate retain under Augustus
- Retained control of the treasury
- Administered the more peaceful provinces
- Still held the chief military positions
- Voted honours to Augustus
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How did the senators help with the running of the empire
They helped by dividing legislative, executive and judiciary functions between them
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Main point on Augustus and the senate
- THERE WAS NEVER A DIVISION OF POWER
- Augustus alone had control of the armed forces and he was able to influence most areas of administration that were controlled by the senate anyway
- Augustus was only pseudo traditional: He still had all the power
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Why was the queastorship important
It provided an opportunity for young members of the senatorial order to gain experience in administration since 6 queastors served in the provinces, whilst the rest assisted Augustus himself
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How many times was he consul and when
- 13 times, as he states in the RG
- 43, 33, 31-23, 5 and 2 BCE
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What was he granted in 23
Granted tribunician power for life without a colleage unless he chose to
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What did tribunician powers give Augustus
- Gave him the right to legislate in the assembly, to summon the senate and put motions to it
- He could veto
- He could officially help citizens who were suppressed by magistrates
- These tribunician potestas came to be regarded as the legal basis of his power and this is confirmed in para 10 RG
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22-19 BCE
- He was offered and refused the dictatorship and the consulship for life, as in paragraph 5
- It was directly related to the corn shortage as when he was consul he had issued corn at hid own cost and the people had become agitated that this was no longer an occurrence
- The senate was pretty much forced to offer the positon
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RG quote on Augustus giving up his powers in 27
"I transferred the republic from my power to the dominion of the senate and the people of Rome" (34)
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What were Augustus' real powers
- Maius Imperium and pro consular imperium
- But these are not emphasised in the res gestae whilst his tribunician powers are
- He wanted to be seen to adhere to tradition and not be a dictator
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What did the senate have no control over
- Foreign affairs, all they did was occasionally sign stuff
- Augustus had the real power to negotiate with client kings and sign treaties
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Comparison of the minting of coins
- The senate had the right to mint copper and bronze coins
- Only augustus had the authority to mint gold and silver coins
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The senate and the provinces...
- They controlled the more peaceful provinces
- But augustus could still interfere by virtue of his maius imperium
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What the major problem for plebs
- Food shortages
- During Augustus' time about two thirds of the urban plebs were recipients of the grain dole
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What do Augustus' donations of grain coincide with
Important events in his career such as the introduction of his "sons" to the senate
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