ROMAN Class

SOCIAL CLASS IN ANCIENT ROME

• Social class in Ancient Rome was hierarchical
• The status of a free born Roman was:
• ancestry (patrician of plebeian)
• census rank (based on wealth- senatorial and equestrian)

PLEBeians

• Plebeians were the military of Rome
• Plebeians and Patricians were always at odds
• Plebeians wanted their power to rise
• Rome's survival depended on them
• The general body of the free Roman citizens

Patricians

• Ruling class families in Ancient Rome
• It is an honorary title
• A vaguer terms used for aristocrats

EQUESTRIAN

• Lower of the two aristocratic classes of ancient Rome
• A hereditary caste

Senatorial

• Was politically weak
• Was no more than an advisory council to the king

Populares Vs. Optimates

• translates to "best ones" and populists
• patrician political groups in later Roman Republic
• both groups belonged to wealthier classes

Oprimates

• were a dominate group in the senate
• blocked the wishes of others

Populares

• these were the ones who were rejected by the optimates
• forced to seek support in the tribunician support
• (tribunician support is support in their tribunes)

Untitled Slide

Patronage in Ancient Rome

• the distinctive relationship in ancient Roman society
• it was between the patronus and his clients
• the patronus was the protector of the clients
• a freedman became the client of his former master

How it began

• it began with the overthrow of the Roman Monarchy
• it was replaced with a government
• much like our government today

Marcus tullius Cicero

• He was a novus homo
• (novus homo is is the first man in the family to serve as a senate)
• Marcuse
• In 63 BC, he became the first novus homo in more than thrity years