Patricians and Plebeians

Roman citizens were divided up into two distinct classes: the plebeians and the patricians. The patricians were the wealthy upper class people. Everyone else was considered a plebeian.

Patricians

The patricians were the ruling class of the early Roman Empire. Only certain families were part of the patrician class and you had to be born a patrician. The patricians were only a small percentage of the Roman population, but they held all the power.

Plebeians

All the other citizens of Rome were Plebeians. Plebeians were the farmers, craftsmen, laborers, and soldiers of Rome.

In Early Rome

In the early stages of Rome, the plebeians had few rights. All of the government and religious positions were held by patricians. The patricians made the laws, owned the lands, and were the generals over the army. Plebeians couldn't hold public office and were not even allowed to marry patricians.

The Plebeians Revolt

Starting around 494 BC, the plebeians began to fight against the rule of the patricians. This struggle is called the "Conflict of the Orders." Over the course of around 200 years the plebeians gained more rights. They protested by going on strike. They would leave the city for a while, refuse to work, or even refuse to fight in the army. Eventually, the plebeians gained a number of rights including the right to run for office and marry patricians.

The Law of the Twelve Tables

One of the first concessions that the plebeians got from the patricians was the Law of the Twelve Tables. The Twelve Tables were laws that were posted in the public for all to see. They protected some basic rights of all Roman citizens regardless of their social class.

Plebeian Officers

Eventually the plebeians were allowed to elect their own government officials. They elected "tribunes" who represented the plebeians and fought for their rights. They had the power to veto new laws from the Roman senate.

Plebeian Nobles

As time went on, there became few legal differences between the plebeians and the patricians. The plebeians could be elected to the senate and even be consuls. Plebeians and patricians could also get married. Wealthy plebeians became part of the Roman nobility. However, despite changes in the laws, the patricians always held a majority of the wealth and power in Ancient Rome.

Interesting Facts About Plebeians and Patricians

• A third social class in Roman society was the slaves. Around one third of the people living in Rome were slaves.

• One of Rome's most famous senators, Cicero, was a plebeian. Because he was the first of his family to be elected to the senate, he was called a "New Man."

• In general, plebeians and patricians did not mix socially.

• Julius Caesar was a patrician, but he was sometimes considered a champion of the common people.

• The Plebeian Council was led by the elected tribunes. Many new laws were passed by the Plebeian Council because the procedures were simpler than in the senate. The Plebeian Council lost its power with the fall of the Roman Republic.

• Freshmen students in the United States military academies are nicknamed "plebs."

• Some of the most famous patrician families include Julia (Julius Caesar), Cornelia, Claudia, Fabia, and Valeria.

Life in the City:

The hub of life in Ancient Rome was the city. The local city was the place to trade goods, be entertained, and meet important people. While Rome was the center of the empire, there were many large and important cities throughout the empire.

City Planning

The Romans built cities throughout their vast empire. When they built a new city, they typically used the same type of city plans. The streets were straight and on a grid. Through the center of the town were the two widest streets which went east-to-west and north-to-south. At the center of the town was the forum with the government buildings, temples, markets, and meeting area.

Surrounding the town was a tall fortified wall to help keep out invaders. These walls were especially important for towns near the borders of the empire. Aqueducts were built outside of the town to bring fresh water to the fountains and public baths.

The Forum

The most important area of every Roman city was the forum. The forum was the center of the local government and the main marketplace for the city. It was at the forum where politicians would give speeches when they were up for election.

Commerce

The city served as a central point for commerce. Farmers could bring their produce into the city to trade for other goods or coins. In the forum there was generally a table where standard weights and measures could be verified. This kept people from being cheated when doing business.

Housing

There were two main types of housing in the cities. The poor and middle class people lived in large apartment buildings called insulae. The majority of the people lived in insulae. The wealthy lived in private homes. You can go here to read more about Roman homes.

Entertainment

Larger Roman cities all had some public buildings for entertainment. These included an outdoor amphitheatre (for events like gladiator fights), a circus (used for chariot races), a theatre, and public baths.

Public Baths

Keeping clean was important to Romans living in the city. Any large Roman city had public baths where people would go to bathe. Bathing was a popular pastime for the Romans. They would hang out with their friends and even hold business meetings at the bathhouses.

How many people lived in a Roman city?

Rome was the largest of the cities. Historians estimate that the population of Rome may have reached up to 1 million people at its peak. Other major cities such as Alexandria, Ephesus, Carthage, and Antioch had peak populations of 200,000 or more.

Interesting Facts About Life in an Ancient Roman City

• Roman city streets were generally paved with stone. Many had raised sidewalks for people to walk on.

• Most Roman cities had a population between 5,000 and 15,000 people.

• Cities were important to the Roman Empire because they were where the empire collected taxes.

• Wealthy Romans typically worked a six hour day from sunrise to noon in the city. The afternoon was spent at leisure, possibly at the baths or the games.

Life in the Country:

When we think of Ancient Rome, we often think of the cities of Rome filled with people, large buildings, and senators walking around in togas. However, most of the population of the Roman Empire lived in the countryside. Life in the countryside was very different from that in the city.

What did the people do in the country?

Most of the people who lived in the countryside were farmers. They worked very hard. They got up early in the morning and worked the fields or did chores until dusk. Some people had other more skilled jobs like blacksmiths, carpenters, innkeepers, and bakers.

Producing Goods

The countryside played an important role in the economy of the Roman Empire. Different kinds of food was grown in different areas and then shipped throughout the empire. One of the most important crops was grains. A lot of grains were grown in Egypt and then shipped to large cities such as Rome. Other major crops of the Roman Empire included grapes (mostly for making wine) and olives (for olive oil).

Small Farms and Big Estates

The Roman countryside was made up of farms of all different sizes. Some farms were large estates run by wealthy Romans who often had a house in the city and a large villa in the country. These farms were usually managed by servants and the fields were worked by slaves. There were smaller farms, too, which were worked by poorer farmers. Small farmers often worked the fields themselves, sometimes with the help of a few slaves.

Villages

There were many small villages in the countryside throughout the Roman Empire. Families often lived in a village near their farm. The village provided some security as well as local craftsmen. Villages were very different in different parts of the empire. Many of the people living on small farms and in villages knew little of the Roman Empire and the city of Rome.

Farmhouses

Farmhouses were different depending on where they were in the empire. They were typically very small huts made from the local materials. Most homes had only one or two rooms. Often farm animals lived in the huts with the farmers in order to keep them safe. Wealthier farmers might have a separate building for the kitchen, workshop, or even a bath house.

Villas

Wealthy Romans had large country homes called villas. These homes were much larger than the homes they had in the city. They had multiple rooms, servants' quarters, pools, and gardens. Romans often visited their villas to relax and escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Roman Legions

The army of Rome, the Roman legions, were usually stationed somewhere out of the city and in the countryside. They lived in forts and helped to maintain the peace or conquer new lands. When the soldiers retired, they were often given a small farm as part of their retirement. This helped to keep the soldiers happy and also kept former Roman soldiers living in lands throughout the Roman Empire.

Interesting Facts About Life in the Ancient Roman Countryside

• One of the favorite pastimes for people visiting the country was hunting.

• Food for poor farmers was pretty boring. They usually ate beans and porridge.

• It is estimated the city of Rome had to import around six million sacks of grain each year to feed its large population.

• The wives of poor farmers worked very hard from sunup to sundown. They spent their day doing chores, preparing food, and making clothes.

• Olives were grown in Spain and North Africa and then imported to Rome.

Information for Plebeians

Information for Patricians