Curiosities of ancient Rome (System and politics)

Optimates were a political faction in the late Roman Republic that emerged from conflicts between the senate and the populares, a faction that sided with the people. The term “optimates” comes from the Latin optimates, which means “the best”, “the most distinguished”, and their goal was to defend the traditional values ​​and interests of the senate and the aristocracy.

Foedus, i.e., covenant or treaty, was one of ancient Rome’s most important diplomatic tools. During the early Republic, Rome used the foedera to secure alliances and stabilize its political influence in Italy and on the outskirts of the growing state. These were formal agreements concluded with other cities, states and peoples that regulated the obligations, privileges and relationships between the parties.

In the works of Cicero (106 – 43 BCE), one of the most important philosophers and politicians of ancient Rome, the state (res publica) was primarily a community of citizens. His approach to politics and the state was firmly rooted in the concept of the common good, which he called res populi – the cause of the people.

In the Roman Republic, the Senate was one of the most important political bodies, playing a key role in shaping law and policy. It was headed by princeps senatus. This title did not mean formal power but brought enormous prestige and political influence. Who was princeps senatus, what functions did he perform and why was this title so important in the republican system of Rome?

Roman republic is famous for its rich political system, which has developed a complex power structure over the centuries. At the heart of this system, various political parties competed with each other, the most famous of which were the optimates and the populares. While the optimates represented the interests of the aristocracy, the populares became the spokesman for the plebeians and those who were marginalized by the traditional elites.

The battle of Philippi (43 BCE) in the far north of Greece, lost by the optimates, put an end to dreams of restoring the republic. Brutus and Cassius were dead, and soon after Cicero’s beheaded head was hung on a Roman rostra. The road to the empire led through Actium (31 BCE) and the victory of Augustus, or perhaps Gaius Octavian, over Antony and Cleopatra.