After the establishment of the Roman Republic and after the royal family was abolished, the consuls were the highest governing officials in the new Republic. The senate elected two consuls annually, and these consuls had as much power and respect as any head of state. Even after the fall of the Roman Republic, consuls continued to be appointed by the emperor. Although the power of the position had deeply diminished by then, the prestige was still great and the position was strongly coveted, hence the emperor continued to appoint consuls as a great honor, and often as favors. From this time on one consul was always nominated in Rome and the other in Constantinople.
      Because two new consuls were elected or appointed every year we can date the consular diptychs with extreme accuracy, at least by the inscriptions that have not been altered by time. The consuls only served for one year and so the name of the consul gave legal date to that year, for example one might have said, " in the year of consul Rufius Probianus," which today translates into the year 322A.D., for that is the year that Rufius Probianus served as consul.
     On most consular diptychs often you will see the consular portrayed as if in front of the Tribunal or presiding over the circus games. We repeatedly see the consul sitting on the curule chair and holding in his hand the mappa cercensis. The mappa cercensis, is the kerchief that the consul would toss to the ground in order to begin the circus games. There is a very clear depiction of this act in the Anastosios Diptych.
     Of all the remaining ivory diptychs only about 50 are identifiable as actual consular diptychs. These cover a span of about 300 years. However, the consular diptychs that do remain are of great importance for shedding light into the age in which they were created. The consular diptychs offer artistic and historical value significant in the study of the late Roman Republic and the early Byzantine Empire.