- an early period, when Rome was expanding to the start of the Punic Wars (to c. 261 B.C.),
- a second period from the Punic Wars until the Gracchi and civil war (to 134) during which Rome came to dominate the Mediterranean, and
- a third period, from the Gracchi to the fall of the Republic (to 30 B.C.).
In the Republican era, Rome elected its governors. To prevent abuse of power, the Romans allowed the comitia centuriata to elect 2 top officials, known as consuls, whose term in office was limited to one year. In times of national turmoil there were occasionally dictators. There were also times when one consul couldn't carry out his term. By the Imperial period, consuls were sometimes selected as often as four times a year.
Consuls were primarily commanders of the military forces. They also presided over the senate. Until 153 B.C., consuls started their years on the Ides of March. From then on they started at the beginning of January. Because the year was named for its consuls, we have retained the names and dates of the consuls throughout most of the Republic even when many other records were destroyed.In the earlier period, consuls were at least 36 years old. By the first century B.C. they had to be 42.
In the last century of the Republic, individual figures, including Marius, Sulla, and Julius Caesar, began to dominate the political scene, leading the way to the next form of government, the principate.
See the following for more on important aspects of Rome during the Republic:
