The traditional "cursus honorum", the annually elected magistracies which gave membership of the senate, developed under the Republic, with the consuls at the top. It was echoed in miniature in every city (municipium or colonia) of Roman citizens. The numbers and roles of the magistrates changed over time with the growth of the Roman empire. The system changed substantially under the first emperor Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD), reflecting the control of the emperor and the more systematic organisation of the provincial empire. In the later empire the system changed again, but here we summarise the high imperial structure.
For aspiring senators, the cursus began with the viginti(sex)virate (a group of minor magistracies such as master of the mint) and the military tribunate (a period of military service open only to the élite). Quaestors (20 per year, minimum age 25) were the magistrates primarily concerned with financial management, including the treasury.
