<P> The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic . It was not an elected body , but one whose members were appointed by the consuls , and later by the censors . After a Roman magistrate served his term in office , it usually was followed with automatic appointment to the Senate . According to the Greek historian Polybius , our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic , the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government . Polybius noted that it was the consuls ( the highest - ranking of the regular magistrates ) who led the armies and the civil government in Rome , and it was the Roman assemblies which had the ultimate authority over elections , legislation , and criminal trials . However , since the Senate controlled money , administration , and the details of foreign policy , it had the most control over day - to - day life . The power and authority of the Senate derived from precedent , the high caliber and prestige of the senators , and the Senate 's unbroken lineage , which dated back to the founding of the Republic in 509 BC . </P>
<P> The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic . It was not an elected body , but one whose members were appointed by the consuls , and later by the censors . After a Roman magistrate served his term in office , it usually was followed with automatic appointment to the Senate . According to the Greek historian Polybius , our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic , the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government . Polybius noted that it was the consuls ( the highest - ranking of the regular magistrates ) who led the armies and the civil government in Rome , and it was the Roman assemblies which had the ultimate authority over elections , legislation , and criminal trials . However , since the Senate controlled money , administration , and the details of foreign policy , it had the most control over day - to - day life . The power and authority of the Senate derived from precedent , the high caliber and prestige of the senators , and the Senate 's unbroken lineage , which dated back to the founding of the Republic in 509 BC . </P>
who had the power to add senators in rome
who had the power to add senators in rome
consuls censors
consuls censors