Ancient History: The Role of the Tribunate: 133-78BC

The tribunate of Ancient Rome consisted of ten men elected for a one year term by the plebeians, who had to power to propose laws, summon the concilium plebis (Plebeian/People's Assembly) and gain resolutions from it, propose laws to the Senate, defend the people against the decisions of magistrates and veto any matters which they disagreed with. Although Rome had no written constitution, the role of the tribune was dictated by the mos maiorum …

…direct=true&db=anh&an=bgh65871 Scullard, H.H., 1976, From the Gracchi to Nero: a History of Rome from 133 BC to 68 AD, London, Methuen & Co. Ltd. Shotter, David, 1994, The Fall of the Roman Republic, Great Britain, Routledge. Taylor, David,1991, Cicero and Rome, London, Nelson Thornes. "The Tribune", The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2004, Columbia, Columbia University Press. The Use of the Tribunate for Reforms, 1994, http://janusquirinus.org/essays/Tribunate.html