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''Praetor'' () was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army (in the field or, less often, before the army had been mustered); or, an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned various duties (which varied at different periods in Rome's history). The functions of the magistracy, the ''praetura'' (praetorship), are described by the adjective:〔In the Latin language, the ending of the adjective agrees with the case, gender, and number, of the noun, which is why the ending of ''praetori-'' varies in the phrases given.〕 the ''praetoria potestas'' (praetorian power), the ''praetorium imperium'' (praetorian authority), and the ''praetorium ius'' (praetorian law), the legal precedents established by the ''praetores'' (praetors). ''Praetorium'', as a substantive, denoted the location from which the ''praetor'' exercised his authority, either the headquarters of his ''castra'', the courthouse (tribunal) of his judiciary, or the city hall of his provincial governorship.〔Most moderate-size Latin dictionaries list the praetorial nouns and adjectives, and uses and major sources.〕 ==History of the title== The Classical-era authors do not describe the events leading to the ''Praetor'' title origination, but the writings of the late Republican statesman and attorney Cicero explored the philosophy and uses of the term ''praetor''. The prefix ''prae'' is a good indication that the title-holder was prior, in some way, in society. Livy mentions that the Latini were led and governed in warfare by two of them〔8.3〕 and the Samnites by one.〔8.26〕 A dictator was called the ''praetor maximus''. The use of the adjectives (''praetorius, praetoricius, praetorianus'') in a large number of circumstances testify to a general sense. The leadership functions of any corporate body at Rome might be termed praetorial. The ''praetoria potestas'' in Republican Rome was at first held by the consuls. These two officials, elected on a yearly basis, inherited the power of the king.〔8.32〕 Very likely, the king himself was the first praetor. The best explanation available is that of Cicero in ''De legibus'', in which he proposes ideal laws based on Roman constitutional theory:〔3.8〕 This etymology of ''praetor'' became and remains the standard.〔http://www.bartleby.com/61/97/P0499700.html〕 Cicero considers the word to contain the same elemental parts as the verb ''praeire'' (praeeo: "to go before, to precede, to lead the way"). In exactly what way he goes before did not survive. Livy explains〔Livy, ''Ab urbe condita'', 6.42, 7.1〕 that in the year 366 BC the praetura was created to relieve the consuls of their judicial duties. The praetor was, in an English sense, the chief justice, and yet more than that. The consuls were his peers; he was elected by the same electorate and sworn in on the same day with the same oath. (The Comitia Centuriata elected consuls and praetors.) Until 337 BC the praetor was chosen only from the patricians.〔In that year eligibility for the praetura was opened to the plebeians, and one of them, Quintus Publius Philo, won (Livy, 8.12).〕 From then on, praetors appear frequently in Roman history, first as generals and judges, then as provincial governors. Beginning in the late Republic, a former Praetor could serve as a Propraetor ("in place of the Praetor") and act as the governor of one of Rome's provinces. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Praetor」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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