The Senate at Rome in Ostrogothic Italy 123
distribution was implemented with the ranks of clarissimus, spectabilis, and
illustris. From the year 440 onwards, only the highest rank, viri illustres,10 sat in
the curia and were entitled to vote.11 Traditionally, the majority of the senators
received their rank through inheritance. Since the time of the principate, sons,
grandsons, and great-grandsons in the male line had been counted within the
ordo senatorius by birth. Over the course of Late Antiquity, this political and
social elite turned into an ever more closed circle that no longer included the
real ‘policy-makers’ such as the Germanic rulers who were involved in Roman
affairs throughout the 4th and 5th centuries. This development led to the fur-
ther deflation of the Senate’s political power. Changes in the numbers of active
Senate members also impacted its position. While the number of active sena-
tors at Rome had increased significantly (perhaps to as many as 2000) under
Constantine,12 it had decreased substantially by the Ostrogothic period to 110
active members.13 Additionally, because of the city of Rome’s diminished role
as an imperial capital, the Senate lost its former position as an imperial institu-
tion and gradually transformed into a municipal council under the control of
the praefectus urbi.14
It is hard to define precisely the Senate’s role in politics and administra-
tion in Late Antiquity. In addition to managing basic administrative needs
at Rome, the Senate could be used to disseminate laws (leges generales). The
senatus consulta were still valid, but needed the emperor’s confirmation to
be implemented. Thus the Senate could not act as an independent legislative
10 See below for which offices would lead to the status of vir illustris.
11 For a broad overview of the late antique Senate and its composition see Jones, Later
Roman Empire, pp. 329–33 and 523–62.
12 Whether or not it increased its number up to 2000 members is questionable, as it is based
on a speech given by Themistius half a century later. See Themistius, Orationes 14.13,
ed. Schenkl/Downey/Norman; Chastagnol, Sénat Romain, p. 45, who considers this num-
ber to be correct. For further details see Näf, Senatorisches Standesbewusstsein, p. 14.
13 Demandt, Spätantike, p. 256. For all of the following prosopographic data see Sundwall,
Abhandlungen, pp. 84ff., Schäfer, Der weströmische Senat, pp. 9ff. and Martindale,
Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE).
14 Kierdorf, Senatus, p. 404. For the special position of the city of Rome with regard to its
administration, presided over by the praefectus urbi, see Demandt, Spätantike, pp. 349f.
This diminished role of Rome as a capital becomes evident if the overall development
from the early principate into Late Antiquity is taken into consideration, even though
Gillett demonstrates that a number of 5th-century emperors ruled from Rome on a per-
manent and semi-permanent basis. See Gillett, “Rome, Ravenna and the Last Western
Emperors”, passim and Bulgarella, “Il senato”, p. 125.