Senators. Tradition always maintained that a Roman senator should be a farmer who did public service when called upon to do so and for him to generally act as a model of Roman industriousness. In practice, a senator's working day varied from individual to individual and changed a great deal in the course of the history of the empire. During the Republic, when the Senate held the greatest power in the Roman state, senators had many responsibilities. The Senate directed all of Rome's finances, made crucial decisions about deploying the military, and guided all diplomatic missions. To enter the Senate, and as members, many also took administrative jobs or governed the territories they conquered. In earlier times, too, senators were more likely to be or have been officers in the military. By contrast, in spite of their wealth, senators...