ir services as government officials. During the republic, the most important activity for the small group of patrician families that controlled the Senate was the pursuit of political power for themselves, their family, and friends. A senator was expected to greet everyone warmly and by name, and was actually assisted by a slave called a nomenclator whose duty it was to memorize names and help identify people.Meetings of the Senate were attended by the Senators themselves and magistrates (the consul for example) only. However, the public could gather by the open doors of the Senate. The meetings took place in the Curia Hostilia in the northwest corner of the Forum, but they could take place at any public place within the city limits of Rome. Senators sat on benches known as subselli, which ran down the long sides of the building, in no fixed order. The Senate met daily, and Senators were allowed to address the Senate on matters pertaining to state or foreign affairs. In fact, a main activity of the Senate was the debate of issues and many of the early senators were great orators and we have their words preserved for us today by contemporary historians. Cato the Censor, Cicero, and others sometimes swayed the opinion of the entire population of Rome with their fine rhetoric and persuasive arguments.The history of the Roman Senate goes back to before there was an accurate written history for Rome. The Senate was composed of leading citizens who were members of the original aristocratic families in the old Monarchy. The original purpose of this group was to advise the King. This worked well during the first two centuries of Rome’s existence when Rome was little more than a city-state built on seven hills and ruled by a king. The Senate originally had one hundred members chosen from amongst the Patrician class but the early kings soon increased its size to three hundred members. After the expulsion of the last king, Tarquinius ...
