Changes

The concept of heads of state is really a fairly modern idea, that cannot easily be applied to some ancient societies. For example, it might be thought that in the [[Roman Empire]] it was the emperor who was head of state, but this would be misleading. In fact, it was the [[consul]]s who retained the highest legal office, even after they lost real power, and the emperors are better thought of as heads of government. In fact, the modern concept cannot be applied in any meaningful sense.

The concept of heads of state is really a fairly modern idea, that cannot easily be applied to some ancient societies. For example, it might be thought that in the [[Roman Empire]] it was the emperor who was head of state, but this would be misleading. In fact, it was the [[consul]]s who retained the highest legal office, even after they lost real power, and the emperors are better thought of as heads of government. In fact, the modern concept cannot be applied in any meaningful sense.