It is commonly assumed that the vigintivirate and the military tribunate, held in that order, were necessary preliminaries, except in the case of adlection, to a senatorial career in the ‘cursus honorum’ established by Augustus. There is, however, reason to believe that certain variations occurred, of sufficient number to warrant consideration as a class, and as evidence for social distinctions among the candidates. The significance of the vigintivirate in determining the future career of senators has already been brought to notice by Professor Eric Birley. The ever-increasing powers of the emperors in the creation and advancement of senators were of great importance in the political and social transformation of that body in the first century of the Empire. This paper is concerned with careers of the Julio-Claudian period, the most relevant from this point of view. The use of later inscriptions, however, as illustrations, could not be excluded.
