Roman Senate

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/roman-senate

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote Roman Senate?Middle Roman Republic (c. 287 BC - 27 BC)
2. What is the institutional lifespan?Approximately 1,300 years (from Kingdom to Western Empire's end)
3. What is the initial function?Advisory council to Roman kings
4. How did the Senate grow from a small council to a powerful body?After Rome stopped having kings, the Senate slowly gained more authority over time. By the 3rd to 1st centuries BC it could decide war, peace, money, and foreign affairs.
5. What did senators do when Rome was a Republic?Senators were usually former leaders and rich men who guided Rome’s expansion, declared war or peace, managed money, and handled foreign relations.

Senatus Consultum: A decree or resolution passed by the Roman Senate, carrying significant weight.
Principate: The first phase of the Roman Empire (27 BC - 284 AD), characterized by emperors ruling alongside a nominally functioning Senate.
De Jure: According to law; by right. Contrasts with 'de facto' (in fact, in reality).