21. That date marks the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Principate . 22. The principate did not totally do away with the system of selecting proconsuls and propraetors. 23. This section examines aspects of late tactics that differed significantly from tactics of the Principate . 24. During the Principate , large vessels of several hundred tonnes'capacity were not uncommon. 25. Still, beards remained rare among the Romans throughout the Late Republic and the early Principate . 26. During the Principate , equites filled the senior administrative and military posts of the imperial government. 27. By the late principate , the senate's power had declined into near-irrelevance. 28. The original 42 provinces of the Principate were almost tripled in number to c . 120. 29. The crisis ended with the accession of Diocletian in 284, and the abolishment of the Principate . 30. He then acted to consolidate the military in preparation to transition the Roman government to the Principate .
