Auctoritas

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Politics of the Roman Republic
509 – 27 BC
Constitution and development
Republican origins Sullan reforms Conflict of the Orders Augustan reforms
Magistrates and officials
Classical magistrates Censor Consul Praetor Aedile Plebeian tribune Quaestor Promagistrate Legate Extraordinary magistrates Interrex Dictator Magister equitum Triumvir Religious officials Rex sacrorum Pontifex maximus Flamines Pontifices Augures Epulones Quindecimviri Early magistrates Consular tribune Decemvir Junior positions Decemviri stlitibus judicandis Tresviri capitales Trimuviri monetales
Senate
Princeps senatus Senatus consultum Senatus consultum ultimum
Assemblies
Curiate Centuriate Tribal Plebeian Elections Contiones
Public law and norms
Courts Iudicium populi Quaestio perpetua Concepts Auctoritas Collegiality Cursus honorum Imperium Ius Mos maiorum Potestas Provocatio Provincial administration Governor Province
Other countries
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Auctoritas is a Latin word that is the origin of the English word "authority". While historically its use in English was restricted to discussions of the political history of Rome, the beginning of phenomenological philosophy in the 20th century expanded the use of the word.

In ancient Rome, auctoritas referred to the level of prestige a person had in Roman society, and, as a consequence, his standing, influence, and ability to rally support around his will. Auctoritas was not merely political, however; it had a numinous content and symbolized the mysterious "power of command" of heroic Roman figures.

Noble women could also achieve a degree of auctoritas. For example, the wives, sisters, and mothers of the Julio-Claudians had immense influence on society, the masses, and the political apparatus. Their auctoritas was exercised less overtly than that of their male counterparts due to Roman societal norms, but they were powerful nonetheless.^[1]