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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Magnus Maximus, post: 2567050, member: 73473&quot;]The Roman Senate was supposedly founded by Romulus to help govern the fledgling city-state. After the overthrow of the Kings in 509 BCE, the Senate became the primary governing body of the newly formed Roman Republic. The constitution of the Roman Republic split the power of the state between the Public assemblies and Senate; this remained in effect until the late Republic. When Octavian became Princeps and ushered in the Empire, he transferred the powers of the assemblies to the Senate. He did this to soothe the egos of Senate, not out of love for the body. Though contrary to popular belief, the Senate still had a good deal of power, and the Consuls were still the highest magistrates in the Empire. Now this is not to say that they were entirely independent of the Emperor, but there are numerous occasions where the Senate took on the then current Emperor and won. Augustus also set up an unequal power system where he governed the more militarized provinces directly, and the Senate received the more peaceful interior provinces. This power agreement technically was still in effect when Emperor Diocletian came to power in 285, but in reality, the power of the Senate had been in steep decline since the death of Gordian III. Diocletian declared that the Senate did not have the authority to govern any provinces outside of the Praefecture of Italy and that the Senate had no authority to choose an Emperor. This declaration practically neutered any façade that the Senate had any input in running the Empire. Any remaining powers of the Senate were given to the Imperial bureaucracy</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>When Constantine founded his capital on the Bosporus, he created a Senate, this one initially resembled a municipal council more than a successor or equal to the one in Rome. This new Senate was made up of Roman Senators who had estates in the East or who hailed from the region, that Constantine had enticed to live in Constantinople by giving away land and tax breaks. It was not until Constantius II became Emperor that the Senate in Constantinople started to rival its counterpart in Rome. Constantius increased the size of the body to about 2,000 members and offered even more tax breaks.</p><p><br /></p><p>This Senate was the one that Flavius Arcadius Augustus inherited when he became Emperor in 395. At this point in time the Senate was essentially a municipal body that ran the city and hosted public games. As a political body, they had almost zero impact on the Empire during Arcadius’s reign, but individual Senators did have a significant amount of influence and power. For example, the position of Magister Officiorum, translated as Master of Offices, practically ran the government and was always a Senator. Other important military and civil officials were usually senators as well, but that does not mean they actively participated in the Senate&#039;s daily sessions. One could see the Senate of the 4th century being a loose gentlemen’s club rather than a traditional ruling body or legislature. Though the Senate did have the authority to pass legislation before the Emperor that he could adopt and they could collectively act as a consultative body. In the Western Empire, the Senate had a more power and influence over the Emperor, but that is not saying much.</p><p><br /></p><p>I find it fascinating watching how the Senate evolved over a millennium and how it impacted the Republic then Empire. The truth is that if the Senate in the 4th century, as a collective body, had most of the power that it did during the Republic, then I doubt we would have seen the Eastern Empire weather the storm of the 5th Century or even see the Western Empire get past the 3rd and 4th Centuries. Those tumultuous years required a vigorous and active hand in running the state that could quickly react to threats across the Empire. The Senate just simply couldn’t do that. That is not to say that the Emperors and the bureaucracy were perfect, they were not, but for their time they were what the Roman state needed for survival in an ever-changing world.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now for the coin!</p><p>I had though I purchased this coin earlier in the year, but I was wrong. I quickly fixed that and bought this lil beauty.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]554725[/ATTACH]</p><p>AR Siliqua, 1.75 grams, 18.08 mm. Trier. 388-392 AD. Obverse: DN ARCADI-VS PF AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: VRBS-ROMA, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and inverted spear. Mintmark TRPS in exergue. RIC IX Trier 95c; RSC 25; Sear -. Good very fine.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]554728[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]554730[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>A bust of Emperor Arcadius</p><p>[ATTACH=full]554731[/ATTACH]</p><p>Arcadius as depicted on the Missorium of Theodosius I. Circ 383-390 CE</p><p>[ATTACH=full]554732[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Sources:</p><p><a href="http://byzantinemilitary.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-roman-and-byzantine-senate.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://byzantinemilitary.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-roman-and-byzantine-senate.html" rel="nofollow">http://byzantinemilitary.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-roman-and-byzantine-senate.html</a></p><p><a href="http://larsbrownworth.com/blog/category/byzantine-senate/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://larsbrownworth.com/blog/category/byzantine-senate/" rel="nofollow">http://larsbrownworth.com/blog/category/byzantine-senate/</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Post your coins of Emperor Arcadius or of anything pertaining to the Roman Senate.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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