Politically, ''auctoritas'' was connected to the [[Roman Senate|Roman Senate's]] authority (''auctoritas patrum''), as opposed to [[potestas]] or [[imperium]] ([[political power|power]]) , which were held by the [[magistratus|magistrates]] or the [[plebs|people]]. In this context, ''Auctoritas'' could be defined as the juridical power to authorize some other act. | Politically, ''auctoritas'' was connected to the [[Roman Senate|Roman Senate's]] authority (''auctoritas patrum''), as opposed to [[potestas]] or [[imperium]] ([[political power|power]]) , which were held by the [[magistratus|magistrates]] or the [[plebs|people]]. In this context, ''Auctoritas'' could be defined as the juridical power to authorize some other act. |