{"id":13099,"date":"2025-11-22T16:11:04","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T23:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/?page_id=13099"},"modified":"2025-11-22T16:11:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T23:11:04","slug":"praetor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/index.php\/praetor\/","title":{"rendered":"Praetor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Praetor<\/em><\/h1>\n
\"Edict<\/a>
Edict issued by Lucius Sentius, a praetor (denoted by the PR at the end of the first line), forbidding the erection of funerary pyres and the disposal of cadavers within the city limits. Dated to 93-89 BCE. From Rome, now in the Musei Capitolini in Rome.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A praetor<\/em> (plural: praetores<\/em>) was a magistrate in the Roman system of government that was responsible for the administration of justice but also held imperium<\/em> and could lead armies. The title is derived from the Latin praeitor<\/em>, one who goes before (in turn derived from prae<\/em>, before, and eo<\/em>, I go). Prior to 367 BCE, the title of praetor<\/em> does not seem to have been tied to an official position, but rather may have referred to anyone leading an army, including the elected consuls<\/em>. After that point, however, the elected office was established and referred to a position that was subordinate to the consul<\/em>, but assisted the consul<\/em> in their judicial duties and had the power to lead an army. The office was initially only open to patricians, but by the end of the 4th<\/sup> century BCE had been extended also to plebeians. The praetorship initially consisted of a single position, but by the end of the Republic, the office had been expanded to sixteen positions and perhaps as great as eighteen in the empire. Praetores<\/em> were elected by the comitia centuriata<\/em>, the centuriate assembly.<\/p>\n

\"Statue<\/a>
Statue base dedicated to Attius Caecilius Maximilianus, who is noted among many offices listed, as being a candidate for praetor (PRAETORI CANDIDATO at the end of the second line of the main inscription). Dated to 357 CE. From the Musei Capitolini in Rome.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The need for a high ranking magistrate to be present in Rome at all times led to the establishment of the position of praetor urbanus<\/em>, a praetor<\/em> who would remain in Rome to administer the courts and organize the defense of the city in case of attack. He was only allowed to leave the city for a total of 10 consecutive days during his term. He was the highest ranking magistrate in the city in the absence of a consul<\/em>. The counterpart to this position when the office was limited to two praetores<\/em> was the praetor peregrinus<\/em>, who initially adjudicated disputes between citizens and foreigners and was often absent from Rome.<\/p>\n

\"Inscription<\/a>
Inscription noting the construction of defensive fortifications at Lilybaeum by Lucius Plinius Rufus, propraetor and designated praetor, on behalf of Sextus Pompius, son of Pompey the Great. The propraetor and designated praetor are noted near the end of the final line of the inscription with PRO PR and PR DES.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the mid-3rd<\/sup> century BCE, the position of pro praetor<\/em> was established as a prorogated extension of the power of a praetor<\/em>. The need for additional military commanders following the First Punic War necessitated the office, in which former praetores<\/em> were selected to pro praetor<\/em> with only the power to lead armies, and not to perform any of the other duties of the praetor<\/em>. When Rome began acquiring territory outside of Italy following the First and Second Punic Wars, praetors<\/em> were initially tapped to governor provinces. Starting in the 2nd<\/sup> century BCE, the position was typically given to a pro praetor<\/em> or proconsul<\/em>. The number of praetors<\/em> elected varied greatly in the final decades of the Republic and through the empire.<\/p>\n

The office of praetor<\/em> was the third primary, and possibly fourth overall office of the cursus honorum<\/em>, a sequential order of public offices for those with political ambition. Candidates initially had to be thirty-nine years old to stand for office, but during the empire the age requirement was lowered to thirty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Praetor A praetor (plural: praetores) was a magistrate in the Roman system of government that was responsible for the administration of justice but also held imperium and could lead armies. The title is derived from the Latin praeitor, one who goes before (in turn derived from prae, before, and eo, I go). Prior to 367…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14275,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13099","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nPraetor - Roamin' The Empire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A praetor was a magistrate in the Roman system of government that was responsible for the administration of justice but also held imperium.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/index.php\/praetor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Praetor - 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