A Study On The Senate In The Early Roman Empire

In the history of ancient Rome, the senate played an important role as an organ ofauthority. Although academics had been more focused on the research of republican period’ssenate, but there is no denying that at the beginning of the empire the senate’s existence andchanges not only have the effect of the stability of the empire, also has a positive influence onthe development of the imperial regime.Based on the political activities of Augustus and the Julio-Claudian dynasty’s heads ofstate in the early empire, we summed up its number, changes in the composition and power.The introduction is a general introduction of the period of Kings and the Roman Republic.The first chapter mainly described the reasons of Augustus to rebuild the senate, and theelders of the number of cuts, qualification examination and approval, and the promulgation ofthe Julia Law. The second chapter mainly discusses the change of senate power, involving inadministration, provinces, legislation, judicial, fiscal and taxation, military diplomacy, andreligion, etc. The third chapter describes the reform of Julio-Claudian dynasty’s heads of state.It mainly reflects in the senate the addition of province nobility and the formation of theimperial bureaucracy, which summarizes the phenomenon of the senate beginning to attach tothe head of state. Finally we conclude the causes and effects of the evolving out of the senate.The senate not only adjusts the relationship between heads of state, helps manage stateaffairs, assists the establishment of the imperial bureaucracy, powerfully promotes theestablishment and perfection of the heads of state system, also maintains the peace andstability of the empire in the biggest degree, promotes the development and prosperity of theempire. The achievement of it cannot be ignored.