How was the election of consuls in Rome? What were the duties of the consuls? What did they do?

1. How was the election of consuls in Rome? 2. What were the duties of the consuls? What did they do? 3. How was the Senate replenished? What state affairs were the senators in charge of? 4. Why, when discussing matters in the Senate, the consul rarely opposed the opinion of the majority? 5. What measures of punishment and encouragement were used in the Roman army?

1. At the National Assembly, each citizen received a tablet on which he wrote the names of those for whom he voted. Passing through narrow bridges, the voter lowered the plate into a special basket.
2. The consuls recruited the army, convened the National Assembly, and could propose new laws.
3. Former consuls, tribunes of the people and other officials got into the Senate without any elections. The Senate possessed tremendous power: it was in charge of the treasury, developed plans for warfare, and negotiated with other states.
4. The consul knew that in less than a year he would become a senator himself and would remain so for the rest of his life. Senators will never forgive him if he, as consul, acts against their will.
5. If one of the detachments showed cowardice, then it happened that after the battle the soldiers were lined up and every tenth was executed by lot. If the sentry fell asleep at the post, he was stoned to death. Those who distinguished themselves were increased the share of military booty, they were awarded honorary weapons. The one who first climbed the walls of the enemy fortress was given a wreath with an image of a battlement wall.
Before the battle, the Romans formed in three lines, each of which consisted of ten detachments. In the first line were young men of military age, in the second – older and stronger warriors, and in the third – the most reliable, whose courage was repeatedly tested in practice. Many were whitewashed by sedans, their faces bore the scars of wounds. Lightly armed soldiers began the battle.
Then the detachments of the first line entered the battle. If the consul saw that they could not defeat the enemy, he ordered them to retreat into the intervals between the detachments of the second line. The warriors from these detachments took over the battle. But if they did not succeed, then step by step they retreated to the third line. The warriors of this line, letting the retreating through the gaps between their detachments, closed the formation and attacked the enemy with a single solid wall.