ROMAN SOCIETY: SOCIAL CLASSES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - HISTORY - 2025

The Roman society was divided between citizens and non - citizens, categories which in turn were composed of various social classes they followed a hierarchical order. This structure underwent several changes depending on the historical period, although always following common patterns.

The Roman civilization was one of the most important in the history of mankind. In its heyday it reached a territorial extension that covered almost all of Europe. During the centuries that its rule lasted, it passed through various stages, from the monarchy to the empire, passing through the oligarchic republic.

Multigenerational banquet, painted on a wall in Pompeii (1st century BC)

The existing social classes were five. Patricians and plebeians were considered citizens, while slaves and freedmen made up the class of non-citizens. During the history of Rome, tensions between patricians and plebeians were frequent, in addition to some rebellions led by slaves.

In addition to these social classes, it is worth noting the importance of the army, especially during the period in which the patricians fell into decline. On the other hand, the legal situation of women placed them in a less advantageous situation compared to men, although there were also differences between them according to their social class.

Social classes of Roman society

- Citizens

The social class made up of the citizens included two different population groups: the patricians and the commoners.

Patricians

Roman patrician - Source: De Valdavia - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, The patricians were the descendants of the first Roman relatives. All of them claimed descent from a "pater", a more or less deified ancestor.

The families that shared the pater formed a gens, bore the same surname and practiced the same cult.

The members of this class had all the privileges, both political and economic, going through the cultural and judicial. They were, therefore, citizens with all rights.

Among their privileges were the possibility of holding positions as magistrates, as well as positions in the senate or on the emperor's council, depending on the time.

Over time, pressure from a part of the commoner class caused the patricians to lose strength. Thus, for example, they ceased to have the exclusive right to occupy important positions in the army and commoners began to exercise those positions.

Commoners

The commoners formed the largest class within Roman society. Contrary to the aristocratic origin of the patricians, the commoners came from some peoples conquered by Rome or were descendants of immigrants. This meant that they had no rights.

This situation was changing during the history of Rome. The commoners began to fight to obtain legal rights, something that was helped by their participation in the army. The result was the granting of civic rights, such as Roman citizenship.

Likewise, the possibility of electing representatives and having their own political institutions was recognized.

After the end of the monarchy, about 509 BC. C., the commoners began to demand new rights. In 302 a. C, they managed to access the magistracy.

These recognitions, however, did not mean that Roman society was democratized. Instead, a new aristocratic order emerged, as a more complex and even more unequal social structure.

The clients

Besides the two main classes of citizens, in Rome there was a third with a special consideration. These were the clients, who, although commoners and free citizens, had no resources of their own.

This led them to voluntarily put themselves at the service of some patron, a rich person who would protect him.

At first, the clientele assumed a close relationship between the client and the employer, but the arrival of the empire transformed them into a different relationship. From that moment on, the client became a figurehead, with little pay and often mistreated.

Historical evolution

The differences between patricians and plebeians began to be reduced from the third century BC. In its place appeared a new scheme based on wealth, political status and family relationships, among other factors.

This new scheme meant that the nobility of blood began to lose importance before the nobility of public office, the so-called senatorial ordo, and before the nobility of money, the ordo equester.

The first group, the Senatorial Ordo, consisted of the wealthiest patricians and commoners. It was they who could access public office and, consequently, gained economic and political power.

On the other hand, the ordo equester was formed by a kind of bourgeoisie enriched thanks to its economic activities. Politically they were subordinate to the previous ones, but their wealth gave them certain privileges.

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Slaves

3rd century mosaic with slaves from Dougga, Tunisia. The slaves are the men with jugs and those who carry towels and olive branches. Source: Pascal Radigue / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

For the Romans, slaves were not considered human beings. It was, in practice, objects without rights that belonged to their owners, who could even kill them without any legal repercussion.

Slaves performed the hardest jobs, and their situation became so precarious that the empire was forced to legislate against the mistreatment they suffered. According to historians, at that time there were about 300,000 slaves in Rome and some of the richest families owned as many as 1,000.

Slavery in Rome was not linked to race, but anyone could suffer it. Although most were prisoners of war, criminals or members of the lower classes could become slaves for certain reasons.

In addition to the slaves in private hands, the servi privati, the state also owned its own, the servi publici. These were destined to exert of firemen, rowers or to be assistants of religious positions or magistrates.

Freed

Stela of the freedman Lucio Ceselio Diopanes, National Archaeological Museum of Sarsina. Source: Uomodis08 / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Some slaves could be freed for some reasons. Sometimes it was the owners who freed them and, in other cases, the slave himself bought his freedom.

These freed slaves made up the class of freedmen. Their rights were limited and they had to keep their former owners loyalty and respect.

Women in Ancient Rome

Fresco of a woman with a tray. Villa of San Marcos, Estabias, Italy. Source: Luiclemens at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Although they were not a proper social class, the laws in force made women form a kind of different social condition. Their rights, however, also depended on the family into which they were born.

Women born into a family of citizens did have that consideration, although not with the same rights as men. Thus, they were not allowed to vote or stand trial. Furthermore, for them emancipation implied a strict legal procedure.

These women, like those born in other social classes, were under the authority of the head of the family, be it their father or their husband.

On the other hand, the libertas could exercise some professional tasks or even own their own businesses.

Finally, the slaves had no choice but to engage in manual labor or prostitution.

References

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6. McIntosh, Matthew A. The Social Structure and Culture of Ancient Rome. Retrieved from brewminate.com
7. Hope, Valerie. Social Pecking Order in the Roman World. Retrieved from bbc.co.uk