magistracy, Roman
magistracy, RomanMagistrates at Rome may be divided in various ways according to various criteria. The most general recognizes a distinction between (a) the ordinarii (regularly elected), namely consuls, praetors, censors, curule aediles (these four offices were distinguished by privileges as ‘curule’, so called because they were entitled to use the official curule chair or sella curulis), quaestors, the vigintisexvirate (vigintivirate under the empire), and (not formally magistrates of the whole populus Romanus but only of the plebs) the tribuni plebis (see tribune) and aediles of the plebs, and (b) the extraordinarii (extra ordinem creati, occasionally appointed or elected), namely the interrex, praefectus urbi or city prefect (altered by Augustus), dictator,...
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