Literally, "Course of Honors".

It was the path any Roman politician would have to take in his ascension to power. The cursus honorum was composed of a sequence of magistracies that politicians would have to hold, requiring that one magistracy be held before another could. However, this was of course preceded by 10 years of military service, for the Romans were extremely militaristic.

During the Republic, the cursus honorum, from beginning to end, went like this :
	quaestor
	    |
	aedile
	    |
	praetor
	    |
	consul
	    |
	censor

Originally, the cursus honorum was merely a socially-instituted law. In 180 B.C.E., however, it was officially instituted, requiring that any politician follow the sequence.

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