Lesson plan
Suffect
A suffect ( ) is a substitute or replacement for a Roman magistrate who died in office. The most well-attested suffects are those of the consuls, who in the republican period were elected to fill vacancies if one of the consuls died. However, other magistracies could also have suffects, such as the plebeian tribunate. In the case of the censorship, however, there was generally no suffect. In the early republic this was permitted. However, after the sack of the city by the Gauls in 387 BC occurred during a censorship with a suffect, a censor who found himself without colleague was required to resign and new censors were then elected.
Article summary
A suffect ( ) is a substitute or replacement for a Roman magistrate who died in office. The most well-attested suffects are those of the consuls, who in the republican period were elected to fill vacancies if one of the consuls died. However, other magistracies could also have suffects, such as the plebeian tribunate. In the case of the censorship, however, there was generally no suffect. In the early republic this was permitted. However, after the sack of the city by the Gauls in 387 BC occurred during a censorship with a suffect, a censor who found himself without colleague was required to resign and new censors were then elected.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.