Editing Quaestor (section)

{{Short description|Public official in ancient Rome}}
{{About|the historical Roman official}}
{{Politics of the Roman Republic}}

A '''quaestor''' ({{IPAc-en|uklang|ˈ|k|w|iː|s|t|ər}} {{respell|KWEE|stər}}, {{IPAc-en|uslang|ˈ|k|w|i|s|t|ər}}; {{IPA|la|ˈkʷae̯stɔr|lang}}; "investigator")<ref>{{Cite OED|quaestor}}</ref> was a public official in [[ancient Rome]]. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times.

In the [[Roman Republic]], quaestors were elected officials who supervised the state treasury and conducted [[audit]]s. When assigned to provincial governors, the duties were mainly administrative and logistical, but also could expand to encompass military leadership and command. It was the lowest ranking position in the ''{{lang|la|[[cursus honorum]]}}'' (course of offices); by the first century&nbsp;BC, one had to have been quaestor to be eligible for any other posts.

In the [[Roman Empire]], the position initially remained as assistants to the magistrates with financial duties in the provinces, but over time, it faded away in the face of the expanding imperial bureaucracy. A position with a similar name (the ''{{lang|la|[[quaestor sacri palatii]]}}'') emerged during the Constantinian period with judicial responsibilities.