Ancient Rome Social Structure

Questions:

1. What were the two main classes of the Roman citizens?

2. What is one reason we know about how the Roman social structure was organized?

Ancient Roman Social Structure

Bibliography:

Websites-

• http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/socialclass.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/social_structure_01.shtml
• http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/order.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_of_the_Orders
• http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome.htm
• http://www.vhinkle.com/rome/ideas.html
• http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/clothing.html

Books-

Matz, D.

Voices of Ancient Greece and Rome: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life

In-text: (Matz, 2012, pp. 1-268)

Get in your letter group...

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In your group...

Read about your social class

Decide as a group what is important to pass onto a new group

You can highlight and write on your paper

Here you will tell your group about your social class

Talk about stands out about them

Are there people or things that remind you of this class from past or present?

Any questions about them?

In your letter groups...

You will have 30 seconds at each social class

Write down what you think is important about your social class

Things that remind you of this- present or future

Questions

Commments

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Slaves/Freemen

Equestrians

Plebeians

Kavi- a

Rhiannon- b

Elle- c

Madi- d

Anna-e

Gabby- a

Sky- b

Delaney- c

Julianna- d

Jenna- e

Parth- b

Jake- a

Zeanlan- b

Parys- c

Nick- d

Makayla- e

Viral- a

Group 4

Group 5

Patricians

Senators

Kennedy- a

Becca- b

Cassidy- c

Neb- d

Carianna- e

Graham- a

Ryley- b

Jill- c

David- d

Cameron- e

Patricians

The wealthiest families

Senators

patricians

• Less power than the patricians
• Served in the Senate
• Had to be 25 yrs old
• "Novus homo" A man who was 1st in his family to be elected to consul"
• There was no salary for being a senator
• Wore: Latus clavus- purple stripped toga
• Were not allowed to trade, make contracts, own cargo ships

• “Patrician” comes from “patres”-fathers
• descended from founding fathers
• Private tutors- the best education
• Greek, geography, history, oratory
• Excused from Military duty
• Made money from being landowners
• Patricians could become Emperor

political Power

• Positions to be held:
• quaestorship
• aedileship
• praetorship
• consulship
• Could Veto Laws
• Hold judgements for criminal & civil Courts

Originally made up of Roman calvary

The business class

tax collectors

bankers

exporters

contracts: construction

Equestrians

• Organized into a military class
• Anyone could become an equestrian, but it was hard to move past this rung
• Sons of Senators held this class until they became of age
• Wore the "angusti clavi" narrow stripes on their tunic

Common

People

Jobs

Plebeains

Bread and Circuses

Farming

Manufacturing

Bakers

Butchers

Own restaurant

• Lower class makes up more of society than the upper class
• Must keep the people happy
• Augustus implemented "Bread and Circuses"
• controlled food prices
• free grain
• free entertainment

Children had to start work at a young age

Contract legal marriages

Extremely important that girls marry

*they were legal Roman citizens

mob rule

• Freeborn Roman citizens
• not apart of the other social classes
• Had to pay taxes
• Could receive Public Welfare
• Most could not write and did not attend school

freedmen

Slaves

Slaves

& Freemen

• Comprised of mostly foreigners
• Roman slavery was not based on race
• Slaves & families were property of owners by law
• They could be sold or rented out at any time
• They could be killed for any reason (laws eventually changed this)
• Could eventually buy their freedom if they were allowed a "peculium"- allowance
• Runaway Slaves
• wore a metal collar with inscription to be returned
• Manumission
• freed in large numbers- outright or by buying their freedom

Previous slaves who had bought their freedom

Not fully free

restricted rights

owed certain duties to their former masters- patrons

Could become citizens

master had to be a citizen

formally manumitted

Could not hold office or be political

This class only encompassed 1 generation

Their names indicated their status as freedmen

US SOcial Classes