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the consul, was allowed to sit in a sella curulis . Being elected praetor by the Comitia Centuriata often made one a senator. The number of praetors varied; most of the time there were eight. There were two types of praetors: the praetor urbanus , who was responsible for the administration of justice in Rome, and the praetor peregrinus , who dealt with lawsuits in which one or both of the parties were foreigners. Praetors could convene and lead the Senate when the consuls were unable or out of Rome. The minimum age for the praetorship was thirty-nine.
The Quaestor
The quaestor (seeker) was a "go-fer" in Roman government. Quaestors were in charge of the treasury ( aerarium , "room for bronze," which was also part of the Temple of Saturn) and public records, which were also stored in the aerarium . Quaestors also had a military function: A quaestor would be assigned to a consul or praetor during a war, and had the duty of paying the troops and procuring supplies for the general. During the battle itself, the quaestor might command a wing of the cavalry. After 80 B.C. being elected to a quaestorship made one a senator. During Caesar's time there were twenty quaestors; the minimum age for a quaestor was thirty.

 

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The Aediles
Aediles , originally subordinates to the tribunes (see below), were in charge of the infrastructure of Rome. They were responsible for maintenance of the roads, bridges, and buildings; supervision of weights and measures in the market, with power to fine merchants who had broken the law; and oversight of traffic regulations. One of their most important duties was cura annonae (ensuring that the city had an adequate supply of grain).
The aediles were also expected to supply games and amusements for the people. Although the government did allot some money for hosting the games, politically ambitious aediles would supplement that amount out of their own pockets, for the aedileship was an opportunity to advertise oneself for future political offices. For example, while serving as aedile in 67 B.C. , Julius Caesar incurred great debts by giving lavish games (with 320 pairs of gladiators), theatrical performances, and public banquets. He thus kept his name on people's lips and in their minds until he ran for the praetorship a few years later. He more than recovered the cost of his aedileship with loot won during his praetorship in Spain in 62 B.C. , when he conquered many towns and tribes.
The Tribunes
The ten tribuni plebis , "tribunes of the people," technically were not magistrates. Their function was to protect the common people from the abuses of power of the magistrates and the Senate, both of which were usually patrician; by law, the tribunes had to be plebeianthat is, of the common people. The tribunes had great power: They could stop anything the government was doing simply by vetoing its actions (this was called intercessio ). The tribunes were supposed to be sacrosanct: They were not to be harmed by anybody, even by holders of imperium . The tribunes were elected annually by the Consilium Plebis (the assembly of the common people, or Popular Assembly). After 149 B.C. tribunes were automatically enrolled in the Senate.

 

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The Senate
Since the magistrates changed every year, the Senate was the stable political body in Rome and represented the community's collected political wisdom. It met in the curia , or Senate House. Made up of former consuls, censors, praetors, tribunes, aediles, and even quaestors, the Senate had experience in all matters relating to the statemilitary, legal, political, foreign, domestic, and religiousand advised the various magistrates, who were expected to carry out the Senate's recommendations. Magistrates who ignored the Senate's advice found that the Senate had its ways of getting revenge. Technically, the Senate had no power: It could not pass laws, it could only advise and recommend. Its decisions were called consulta or decreta . The Senate's prestige (