SENA, Se'-net. a. A coast town of Umbria. 2. juLiA,j1V-Ii-a, a town of Etruria.
S.Ex AT US, se-nd-tees. 1. At Rome, the (ounce' of Eleicrs, first instituted by Romulus, who created too Pat'res, or Senators. To these too more were added on the union with the Sabines (Titienses, under Titus Tatius); and when the third tribe, Lteceres, was incor porated under Tarquinius Priscus, another too (called Patres Mine'rune Gen'tison, by way of distinction from the Patres illaje'ruen Gen'tium, or older Senators), were added, thus raising the number to Soo. After the expulsion of Tarquin Superbus (5to rs.c.) the much reduced Senate was filled up by the consuls, and the new Senators (many of whom were wealthy plebeians) were termed Conscrifiti, and hence the common subsequent designation of the Senate, Patres (et) Conscrifiti, the et being later dropped. Under the Republic the Senate was the executive, the magistrates being only its ministers, and its decree (Sind tus-consultum, q.v.) was authoritative without the sanction of the Comitia, and in foreign affairs it was absolute, except as regarded war or peace. The Senate superintended also reli gion and the finances (see Q1LESTOR), and could at any time suspend the constitution by ordering the consul to name a dictator, or by investing the consuls with a dictator's powers. The dignity of a Senator was for life, but not hereditary, and vacancies were filled up every five years by the Censors from those who had held any of the higher offices, but the Senate always remained an aristocratic house. The insignia of a Senator consisted of the Tzinica Litticlarvia (an under garment ornamented with a broad vertical purple stripe), an Anna= Aurius (golden ring), a Calcites Sind terius (a shoe of a particular form, fastened by four straps round the calf of the leg, and adorned with a crescent-shaped (Ilinnla)piece of ivory), seats reserved in the Orchestra and at the public games, and a tit, the privilege of being invested with the character of an ambassador when abroad, though he had gone merely on his own private business. Under the Empire the power of the Senate was merely in appearance. Nominally it had the election of magistrates with the emperor ; its decrees, and the constitutions of the emperor, which it ratified, were the laws ; it decided important criminal trials, and elected the emperors. The real power assigned to it depended, of course, on the temper of the reigning emperor. The right of summoning the Senate was vested in the consuls, and tribunes of the plebs, and afterwards the emperor. The Senate could only meet in a tenzfiluen—i.e., place consecrated by augurs. The ordinary council-hall was the Curia Hostilia, and when the Senate conferred with the ambassador of a hostile state, or with a Roman general who did not wish to forfeit his imperiunt (military command) by crossing the Ponzerrizan, the meeting usually took place in the temple of Bellona, or of Apollo, in the Prato Flantheia, at the south of the Campus Martins. z. At Athens, the BouXii, Senate or
Council, consisted in Solon's time of zoo members, too from each 0,X;i, and after Clisthenes' time the dignity was conferred annually by lot ; but after being elected, each had to submit to a doxipaoia, to sec if they were in every way fit for their duties. Under Clisthenes the number of members was raised to 500. Each senator received one drachma (about pfd.) for each meeting, and was exempt from military service, had a particular place in the theatre, and wore a myrtle chaplet as a badge, and a golden chaplet was generally awarded to the whole college at the expiration of the year of office. The Athenian Senate acted merely as a sort of committee of the 'EKKXnata, or popular Assembly, preparing the business for it, and it was itself for convenience subdivided into monthly committees (see PRY" TANES). The 'Eeeltgeia was ordinarily held four times under each set of Pryffines, in the theatre of Dionysus, or, for election of commanders, in the Pnyx (an ordinary meeting was tctipia, an extraordinary, The Proiciri of the Prytanes presided. The voting was usually by holding up the hand, xeicarovia, except in Ostracism (q. v.). All authority was really vested in this Assembly, but for legislative purposes a board of Nomlitlilitce decided on the expediency of new laws. However, the power of these commissioners was resumed gradually by the democracy as it became more unbridled. All the more important trials were brought before the Assembly, but generally referred by it to a board of judges, Heliastce. 3. At Sparta, the repoee;a, consisted of the two kings and twenty-eight members (7temree). The latter, elected for life by popular acclama tion, were above 6o years old, and irrespon sible. They transacted, nominally, all affairs of state, and sat in jugdment on capital crimes or offences of the kings ; but their age was a bar to active participation in government, and all real power was in the hands of their minis ters, the EIS hirri (q.v.). The •A>ii2, or popular Assembly, like the possessed no real power. Its meetings were merely formal, to ratify the decisions of the Senate, or to hear what had been done abroad. It possessed no judicial powers. Its formal voting was usually by acclamation.
SENA TUS-CpNSULTUM, se-me-tus-con-sue tune (see ROGATIO).