Consul

Title of the two highest civil and military magistrates of Rome in the time of the Republic. The consuls functioned as the heads of state, commanding the army and governing with the Senate. They also had certain judicial functions. Ordinarily a consul was appointed to a one-year term. A letter from the consul Lucius Calpurnius Piso (consul, 140–139 BC) to Ptolemy VII Physcon (reigned 145–116 BC) of Egypt is mentioned in 1 Maccabees 15:16.