Editing Quintus Sertorius (section)

==== The Sertorian Senate and school at Osca ====
Sertorius, in his efforts to build a stable powerbase in Hispania, is said to have established a Senate of three hundred members drawn from Roman emigrants in Iberia.{{sfn|App. ''BCiv.''|loc=108.1, though scholars doubt the figure of 300 specifically}} He probably did not start calling it a Senate, nor did it contain a significant number of senators, until the arrival of Perperna and the Marian/Lepidan exiles in 77&nbsp;BC.{{sfnm|Konrad|1994|1p=185|Spann|1987|2p=87}} Whether the title of Senate was given to this body because it was a "government in exile" or innately due to the [[Dignitas (Roman concept)|dignitas]] of its members is not known.{{sfnm|Konrad|1994|1p=185, who argues it was not a government in exile as Sertorius lacked the power of a consul to convene a Senate and only saw himself as a proconsul. Conversely |Spann|1987|2pp=88-89, who believes it was in fact a government in exile, and that the fact that it was a 'Senate' was manifest}} It included many men, possibly one hundred or more, who were genuine senators but had fled Rome.{{sfnm|Konrad|1994|1p=184|Spann|1987|2pp=86-89}} Sertorius probably rose men of equestrian rank and other young nobles to his Senate to swell its numbers, and personally appointed proquaestors and propraetors; some men (such as [[Marcus Marius (quaestor 76 BC)|Marcus Marius]]) apparently even advanced offices in his administration.{{sfn|Brennan|2000|p=503}} How often Sertorius convened his Senate aside from the treaty he formed with Mithridates VI, and indeed whether he had the power to do so regularly, is uncertain.{{sfn|Konrad|1994|p=185}} Though the quality of the Sertorian Senate deteriorated as Sertorius' war effort failed,{{sfn|Brennan|2000|p=503}} the body was numerous and powerful enough, for a time, to challenge the authority of the Sullan Senate.{{sfn|Spann|1987|pp=89}} 

For the children of the chief native families Sertorius provided a school at Osca, his capital city, where they received a Roman education and even adopted the dress and education of Roman youths; Sertorius held exams for the children, distributed prizes, and assured them and their fathers they would eventually hold some positions of power.{{sfn|Plut. ''Sert.''|loc=14}} This followed the Roman practice of taking [[hostage]]s. Sertorius may have promised to grant these children, along with their families, [[Roman citizenship]].{{sfnm|Konrad|1994|1p=142|Spann|1987|2pp=80–81}}