Quaestor

Quaestor

Quaestors were originally appointed by the consuls to investigate criminal acts and determine if the consul needed to take public action. Quaestors eventually took on additional responsibilities, such as supervising the treasury (for which they are best known), and became elected magistrates. The office of Quaestor was adopted as part of the Cursus honorum.

Quaestors were elected officials of the Roman Republic who supervised the treasury and financial affairs of the state, its armies and its officers. The office may date back to the time of the Kingdom of Rome. By about 420 BC there were four Quaestors, elected each year by the "Comitia Tributa", and after 267 BC there were ten. Some Quaestors were assigned to work in the City, while others were assigned to the staffs of generals or served the Roman Governors as Lieutenant Governors in the provinces. Still others were assigned to oversee military finances.

During the reforms of Sulla in 81 BC, the minimum age for a quaestorship was set at 30 for patricians and at 32 for plebeians, and election to the quaestorship gave automatic membership in the Senate. Before that, the censors revised the rolls of the Senate less regularly than the annual induction of quaestors created. The number of quaestors was also raised to 20.

Today the title of Quaestor (Questore) persists in Italy and it represents a high Police office. It is also present in Romania as "Chestor" and it is also a police office. The European Parliament has six Quaestors to look after the financial and administrative needs of its members. Some ancient British universities, such as the University of St Andrews, still have a Quaestor whose responsibilities are in leading and developing effective and efficient financial control and management within the University.

ee also

*Constitution of the Roman Republic
*Cursus honorum
*Roman Republic

ources of Further Reading

*Bourne, Frank (Princeton University). "A History of the Romans" Boston, MA. 1967, D.C. Heath and Company

External links

* [http://www.altertumswissenschaften.de/altertumswissenschaften/hilfsmittel/roemischebeamte/quaestoren.php List of quaestors]


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  • QUAESTOR — sic dicitur, quasi quaesitor. Ulpianus, l. singulari, de efficio Quaestoris: Agenere quaerendi Quaestores initiô dictos, et Iunius, et Trebatius, et Fenestella scribunt. Eandem quoque originationem, point Beda, de Orthographia. Sed ut genus… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • quaestor — QUAESTOR, quaestori, s.m. (În Roma antică) Magistrat cu atribuţii fiscale. [pr.: cvéstor] – cuv. it. Trimis de cata, 24.02.2002. Sursa: DEX 98  QUAESTOR [pr.: cvéstor] m. Magistrat cu atribuţii fiscale în Roma antică. /cuv …   Dicționar Român

  • Quaestor — Quaestor, 1) (röm. Ant.), eigentlich so v.w. Quaesitor (s.d.); daher zur Zeit der Könige Q. parricidii der Richter, welcher überdas Parricidium (s.d.), sowie auch über andere Arten des Mordes (daher Q. rerum capitalium) entschied. Als 509 v. Chr …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Quaestor — Qu[ae]s tor, n. [L.] Same as {Questor}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Quaestor — Quaestor,   Quästor …   Universal-Lexikon

  • quaestor — [kwes′tər, kwēs′tər] n. [L, contr. < quaesitor < quaesitus, pp. of quaerere, to inquire] an official of ancient Rome, with various, chiefly financial, duties quaestorship n …   English World dictionary

  • Quaestor — Die Quaestur (eingedeutscht Quästur) war das niedrigste Amt der senatorischen Ämterlaufbahn (cursus honorum) der römischen Republik. Quästoren wurden (bis zum Beginn der Kaiserzeit) vom Volk auf ein Jahr gewählt. Ursprünglich waren die Quästoren… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • quaestor — quaestorial /kwe stawr ee euhl, stohr , kwee /, adj. quaestorship, n. /kwes teuhr, kwee steuhr/, n. Rom. Hist. 1. one of two subordinates of the consuls serving as public prosecutors in certain criminal cases. 2. (later) one of the public… …   Universalium

  • Quaestor —    The Quaestor of the Sacred Palace (quaestor sacri palatii) was the supreme legal minister whose duty it was to draft imperial laws, in addition to being the emperor s (q.v.) chief legal advisor. The famous Tribonian (q.v.) occupied this post… …   Historical dictionary of Byzantium

  • quaestor — Questor Ques tor, n. [L. quaestor, contr. fr. quaesitor, fr. quaerere, quaesitum, to seek for, ask: cf. F. questeur.] (Rom. Antiq.) An officer who had the management of the public treasure; a receiver of taxes, tribute, etc.; treasurer of state.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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