The Roman Senate: 1,000 Years of Power and Decline

Lucas and Luna explore the Roman Senate, tracing its evolution from a council of patrician elders under the kings to the dominant political force of the Republic, then its long decline under the emperors. They discuss the Senate's role in declaring war, managing provinces, and controlling state finances, as well as key turning points like the senatus consultum ultimum against the Catilinarian conspiracy, the proscriptions of Sulla and the Second Triumvirate, and the gradual loss of power under Augustus, Tiberius, and later emperors. Lucas explains how the Senate could still sometimes assert itself, as during the Year of the Four Emperors and with the election of Nerva, but ultimately became a ceremonial body under Dominate. The episode also covers the physical meeting places—the Curia Hostilia, Curia Cornelia, and Curia Julia—and the symbolic end of the Senate's real influence. The conversation ends by reflecting on the Senate's legacy as both a model and a cautionary tale for representative government. #RomanSenate #CuriaJulia #SPQR #RomanRepublic #RomanEmpire #Patricians #SenatusConsultum #CatoTheElder #Cicero #Augustus #YearOfTheFourEmperors #Nerva #Dominate #AncientRome #RomanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #ItalyHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo