The Roman Senate and the priestly officials
The Roman Senate was the political association in ancient Rome. It was one of the most of the enduring institutions in Roman history, being founded in 753 BC. The Senate would be somewhat similar to countries' governments. The word senate derives from the Latin word senex, which means "old man"; the word thus means "assembly of elders". The Senate was founded by Rome's first king, Romulus and it included one hundred men. The descendants of these one hundred men became the patrician class who were very wealthy. When Rome was ruled by its fifth king, another one hundred men were chosen and these were from a lower class. So this part of the Roman Senate were called the minorum gentium. But the final king of Rome executed all of the leading members of the Senate and this therefore diminished their number. The Roman Senate during Rome's reign of kings, had three main responsibilities: It was the chief archive for administrative power, it served as the council to the king and it operated as the congressional body in concert to the People of Rome. But the Senate's most important function at the time of the monarchy, was to elect new kings. The period between the death of one king, and the election of a new king, was called the interregnum, during which time the Interrex nominated a candidate to replace the king. King Servius Tullius was elected by the Senate alone, and not the people.