An Overview into Ancient Romes Social Classes - Essay Example

An Overview into Ancient Rome’s Social es Introduction Ancient Rome was one of the most successful and powerful civilizations of all time. The Ancient Roman civilization started as early as 8th century BC and went on to exist for approximately 12 centuries. The ‘Ancient Rome’ in this paper refers to both the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic and studies the whole Roman society as one. The social structure of any society is very important in determining the interrelationships between the citizens, the strength of the social institutions and the general way of life within that society. Ancient Rome had a stratified social structure with six distinct social classes namely the Patricians, which comprised of the rich imperials; the Senators; the Equestrians, who were the upper class horseback riders; the Commons (average citizens); the freed people, which comprised of freed slaves; and lastly the Slaves. The Patricians, Equestrians, and Senators were regarded as the upper class members of the society. The middle-class was made up of the commons while the freed people and slaves made up the lower class (Parkin et al. 3-42). This paper critically looks at these classes, their significance in the Roman Empire and the various roles and contributions of the members of each of the social classes in the general society at that time. The structure of the paper is arranged in such a way that each class is discussed separately to clearly bring out the distinction between the individual classes. The social classes are discussed in a descending order from the Patricians to the slaves. The Patricians The word patricians is derived from the Latin word patres meaning ‘fathers’ .This was the top most class in Rome when it was still a monarchy. It comprised of mostly the very wealthy individuals who held official positions such as the official advisors of the king. Wealthy landowners also formed part of the patricians due to the massive amounts of wealth they gained from their land. The patricians enjoyed a fabulous and luxurious lifestyle that was facilitated by the vast quantity of wealth and influence they possessed. Patrician fathers would usually employ private tutors to ensure that their sons were extensively educated. This education was mostly focused on the subjects that would be expected of a noble to know. They included geography and history, poetry, literature, mythology and some languages. This education was expected to help them in their future careers as high officials in government positions and courts. The patricians also enjoyed many privileges such as exclusion from compulsory military service, which was required of all able male citizens. Patricians were also the only class of people that could become emperors, even though this was a dangerous path to pursue due to constant rivalry and competition. It is important to note that even though most patricians would pursue careers in politics and governance, they were also the ones who were supposed to become priests and carry out priestly duties. Generally, patricians and members of the royal families had little responsibility apart from politics and governance and lived a much more relaxed lifestyle than most of the other citizens of Rome during that period. The Senators The senators were the second most powerful distinct class of citizens in Rome after the patricians. This group of people got its power and social status due to the political power that it possessed. The families whose ancestors included at least one ambassador mostly dominated the senate. These families were known as the nobles. All men who served in the senate were part of this class. Ancestry was also important as observer by historian Livy. A king chose senators from respectable families because “they were certainly styled fathers from their honorable office and their descendants Patricians” (Livy VIII). However, ways of becoming a member of the senate changed severally at different eras and times of ancient Rome. Senators also had special privileges in addition to their strong judicial and political powers in ancient Rome. For example, the members of the senate class alone that could hold the highest official positions in criminal and civil courts such as judges and court officers. Senators also had the honor of wearing the purple stripped togas (official garments). The senate was the head of the government bureaucracy during the empire period where it served chiefly as an advisory body. The senators took its lead from the Emperor, who had the powers to appoint new senators, propose legislations, and preside over senate discussions. Even though the senate lacked actual law-making power, it still held considerable authority in Roman politics as it could appoint among other functions officials that governed provinces, appropriate funds for various projects, send and receive ambassadors on behalf of the city and declared war or negotiated peace. According to historian Titus Livius, the senators could also ascend to position of King as he states in his book that during one time “…the minds of senators were agitated by ambition and contention for the vacant throne” (Livy XVII). Despite all this privileges and power, the senate was still below the patricians in terms of social class due to some rules and ancestry. Senators had to follow certain restricted rules in the society that were not applicable to the patricians. They were sometimes forbidden by the law from taking part in any form of business apart from the ownership of land and other natural resources. A later law was also passed which forbade the senate from owning a merchant/trading ship, although members of the senate frequently disregarded these laws. In general, the senate was one of the most influential groups of people in Rome not only socially but also politically. The Equestrians The equestrians were ranked just below the senators. Equestrian class was made up of men who were originally in the Roman Cavalry. They became more powerful in 212 BC when they took on roles that are more commercial after Lex Claudia prevented the senators from involvement in trade and business activities. They became bankers, miners, tax collectors and other important business positions, thereby becoming very wealthy businesspersons in the process. Emperor Augustus, who reorganized them into a military class, recognized the equestrian’s importance. He also encouraged other Roman citizens of all social classes to join and become equestrians as long as they were in good health, were of good reputation and owned at least 400,000 Roman coins (sesterces). Augustus went on to found the imperial civil service, where he put equestrians to head. The equestrians proved quite useful especially in the financial administrations of the provinces and the empire as a whole. In the following decades, equestrian numbers dramatically increased into their thousands throughout the Roman Empire. In the later years, equestrians went on to become very important people who could even rise up the ranks to become senators. This is mostly because of two main reasons. First, there was inadequate supply of men in the senate, making it necessary to recruit from the equestrians. The second reason is that all the sons of senators were automatically classified as equestrians until they gained enough age and experience of office to become senators themselves. It is important to note that equestrians did not have to be Italian or Roman at birth. The Commons The commons consisted of all the Roman citizens born free. They were also commonly known as the plebeians and formed the vast majority of the roman populace. They were made up of the descendants of people who had migrated to Rome after the original patrician families had founded it. Some of them descended from freed men while some were just simple immigrants. Others became citizens by virtue of conquest after their lands being conquered by Rome. (Livy XXX) Most commoners were poor people who mostly worked for the wealthy patricians to earn a living. Because of this, there was a division between them and the wealthy patricians. The commoners/plebeians often struggled for rights to leadership and sharing of power between them and the wealthy upper class patricians. This struggle was heightened during the republican period, with Julius Caesar claiming to stand for the common plebeians even though he was a patrician himself. The Freed people These men and women were made up of previous slaves who had been freed or earned their freedom. Although they were free, they still had some restrictions and did not have the full rights of the natural roman citizens. They were mostly freed if they got too old to work or if they had earned enough money to buy their freedom. Some owners also freed their slaves simply out of gratitude if they did something remarkable or pleasant to them. The freed people could however still be called upon by their former employers to work for them if they wanted to. These people could not hold important religious or government positions, but their children were allowed to do so. The Slaves The slaves formed the lowest class in the Roman social hierarchy. They had no individual freedom of their own and no rights. They belonged entirely to their masters and had to do everything as per the wishes and the desires of their masters. They were counted as part of the property of their masters and could not own any property themselves (Parkin et al. 154-204). Conclusion From the above, it is evident that Ancient Rome was a distinctly stratified society with each member belonging to one of the established social classes. However, social mobility was common, as seen where the equestrians could move up the ladder to become senators, commoners could become equestrians and even slaves cold become freed people by just being freed. The social classes played their part in ensuring that each member of the society performed their duties as expected of their social class, facilitating the smooth running of the empire. Work Cited MacMullen, Ramsay. Roman Social Relations, 50 bc to ad 284. Yale University Press, 1974. Parkin, Tim, and Arthur Pomeroy, eds. Roman social history: a sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2007. Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome by Titus Livius. Translated from the Original with Notes and Illustrations by George Baker, A.M, First American, from the Last London Edition, in Six Volumes (New York: Peter A. Mesier et al., 1823). Vol. 1. 6/1/2015. http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/1754 Read More