Quaestor Handbook/Quaestorship
1. Quaestorship
1.1 A Quaestor
Quaestor is minor magistrate position, but the first one with authority and responsibility. The role of Quaestores is perhaps reducible into one word: assistant, but in the reality it is not very tightly defined.
1.2 What Does NR Constitution Say?
The role of the Quaestores is defined at the constitution of Nova Roma (2757 version) in following way: I. C.
This Constitution shall serve as the bylaws for Nova Roma, a legally incorporated entity in the state of Maine, USA (hereafter referred to as "the corporation"). The conduct and procedures of the Board of Directors and the officers of the corporation shall be according to the guidelines and strictures set forth in this Constitution. The Board of Directors of the corporation shall be composed of the Senate of Nova Roma (as described in Section V of this Constitution), and the officers of the corporation shall be composed of the magistrates of Nova Roma (as described in Section IV of this Constitution), as follows:
1. The co-presidents of the corporation shall be the consuls of Nova Roma; 2. The co-vice-presidents of the corporation shall be the praetors of Nova Roma; 3. The co-treasurers of the corporation shall be the quaestors of Nova Roma; 4. The co-secretaries of the corporation shall be the censors of Nova Roma. IV A 6.
Quaestor. A number of quaestors shall be elected by the comitia populi tributa equal to the number of consuls, praetors, and aediles to serve a term lasting one year. One Quaestor shall be assigned to each of these magistrates by mutual agreement or, if such cannot be made, by decision of the newly-elected consuls. They shall have the power and obligation to administer those funds that shall be allocated to them by the Senate in its annual budget under the supervision of that magistrate to whom they are assigned. Those quaestors assigned directly to the consuls shall supervise the whole of the aerarium (treasury), but no funds may be spent without the prior approval of the Senate
V. B.
The Senate shall exercise control over the aerarium (treasury) and shall oversee the financial endeavors, health, and policy of the state.
1. No later than the last day of November of each year, the Senate shall prepare a budget for the following year. This budget shall deal with the disbursement of funds from the aerarium to the quaestors for various purposes. Even though the quaestors assigned to the consuls shall be responsible for the maintenance of the entire treasury, no funds from it may be disbursed without the prior approval of the Senate. The Senate may, as required by changing circumstances, pass supplemental Senatus consulta to modify the annual budget.
2. The Senate may, by Senatus consultum, impose taxes, fees, or other financial requirements on the citizens in order to maintain the financial welfare of the state.
1.3 Quaestores in NR Reality This is all clear, but the reality is that probably only 3 Quaestores of 8 deal with money-issues: two consular and a aedilician one. The rest of Quaestores are more like private secretaries of their magistrate, first assistants.
1.4 Quaestores in Ancient Rome
In the ancient Rome Quaestores were more strictly financial officers, except in the empire. Following article is a short summary, and can be found at: http://www.livius.org/about.html “Quaestor: Roman magistrate, comparable to an accountant. The word Quaestor means 'the man who asks questions'. This magistrate is first mentioned in the Laws of the Twelve Tables, although there are reports about quaestors who served under the Roman kings.
Their task was to investigate murder cases - they were police inspectors. It is unclear how this function could change into a government office. The first two quaestorian magistrates were elected in the 440's. They served as accountants and took charge of the aerarium (public treasury). Some twenty years later, their number was doubled. The new quaestors served as paymasters of the two consular armies. Two more quaestors were added in 267: they took charge of the tribute of the Italian allies. After the First Punic war, the annexation of the island of Sicily and Sardinia/Corsica led to the appointment of two additional quaestors. The number must have grown with the number of provinces. Under Sulla, there were 20 quaestors; under Julius Caesar, the Roman empire needed 40 accountants - or perhaps Caesar had discovered an easy way to give a job to his adherents. Originally, one could not become quaestor unless one had 10 years of experience in the army. This was changed under Sulla, who stipulated a minimum age of 30 years for the Quaestorship. The emperor Augustus lowered this age to 25 years. He also made an end to the practice to have the quaestors elected by the Comitia tributa, an assembly of the people that was divided into voting districts. The election was transferred to the Senate. Under the empire, two of the quaestors were appointed by the emperor in person (the quaestores Augusti). They had financial tasks as well, but were also responsible for messages of the emperor. A young man who obtained this job, was expected to become a very important official. An additional task of all quaestors was the supervision of the Games. Since the aedil, praetors and consuls were also responsible for the Games, it may be suspected that the magistrates were each others rivals.
A quaestor had no bodyguard (lictor) but was allowed to wear a purple-bordered toga.
Livius is a non-commercial website on ancient history. Since 1996, it has been maintained by Jona Lendering from Amsterdam, Holland. He read history at Leiden University (where he graduated in 1993), specialized in Mediterranean culture at the Amsterdam Free University (until 1996), and worked at excavations in Holland and Greece. After teaching methodology and theory at the Free University, he worked for some time as an archivist. He now teaches ancient history to elderly people and Dutch history to foreigners, again at the Free University. This site is meant as a bridge between what academic scholarship has to offer and what the larger audience demands. It also tries to offer on-line information on subjects that are still (almost) absent on the world wide web (e.g., ancient Persia). Jona Lendering is the author of six books, all in Dutch. Reviews can be found here (all in Dutch, except this one).”
