Social Class In Ancient Rome

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The Roman populace had a strict class division. The majority of citizens fell into the poor plebian class, while a rich minority enjoyed the privileges of being a part the patrician class. Which class you were born into had major political, economic and social ramifications. According to Morey (1901), the plebeians (known as the plebs) and the patricians were united in forcing out the tyrant king Tarquinius Superbus in 510 BCE in favor of a republic. The power of the king fell almost entirely to the rich patricians. The plebs were not allowed to hold any of the powerful new offices such as Consul or be members of the senate. About the only political power the plebs had was voting in comitia centuriata. According to Gill (n.d.) this did give the plebs a voice in who received the powerful positions (Consul, Praetor, Censor). …show more content…

Because the plebs were poorer, they tended to live outside the city on farms. Whenever Rome went to war (which was frequently) the men were forced to leave their farms (Morey, 1901). The constant war made the razing of outlying farms common. As a result, the poorer plebs were often made destitute. As a last resort they were forced to borrow from the richer class – debts which when unpaid could lead to slavery. The patricians used their power to, at times literally, enslave the plebs. To add insult to injury, they would misappropriate public farm land, using it to their own profit. The abuse of power of the patricians came to a head in 494 BCE, when the plebs refused to be used in such an unfair manner. The plebs decided to secede from Rome, creating their own city on the Sacred Mountain and refusing to fight for Rome. The patricians realized that the loss of the plebs would leave them vulnerable to their enemies and were forced to make

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