Social Life in Ancient Rome: Classes, City & Country
Life in Society
Social Differences
Initially, Rome was a city with fewer social disparities. However, differences emerged due to factors like population growth and uneven economic development. The main social classes were:
Free Men:
These were individuals who were free or had been freed from slavery. They possessed rights and responsibilities, and were divided into several categories:
- Patricians: Descendants of the founding families of Rome. They formed the aristocracy and enjoyed economic, religious, political, and social privileges. They were landowners and benefited from conquests, holding positions in priesthoods and most political offices. Towards the end of the Republic, commoners also began to share some of these privileges.
- Commoners (Plebeians): Descendants of families who migrated to Rome from other parts of Lazio. Initially, they were considered foreigners and lacked rights and duties. They could not own property, hold political or religious office, or marry patricians. Over time, their numbers grew, and they gained equal rights with the patricians, with prestige being the main remaining difference.
- Clients: Commoners who voluntarily sought the protection of a patrician (Patronus). Clients would present themselves to their patron every morning, offering services in return for food and money for their family’s upkeep, as well as political support. As differences among commoners grew, patronage increased, benefiting patrons who could win elections based on the number of clients they had.
- Freedmen: Former slaves who had been released. While they did not enjoy the same rights as patricians or even plebeians, their children became full citizens.
Slaves:
Slaves were individuals deprived of freedom and owned by someone else. They were not considered individuals and had no rights. They could not marry, and their children also became the property of the owner. Slaves performed the most difficult tasks. There were two types of slaves, based on their jobs:
- Public Slaves: Owned by the state and worked on projects like highways and mines.
- Family Slaves: Received more humane treatment and worked in fields or as hairdressers, barbers, teachers, or secretaries.
People became slaves through birth, capture in war, conviction by the justice system, or inability to repay debts. Slavery was less common during the monarchy but increased significantly during the Republic due to territorial conquests and the capture of prisoners of war, which reduced their value.
Life in the City
The city was bustling, crowded, and full of activity, providing all kinds of services. Patricians typically lived in the city, managing their wealth with the help of slaves in the morning. They would then go to the forum to perform tasks related to their office or simply to shop or socialize.
After midday, they would cease working and spend the afternoon in bathhouses, attending shows, meeting friends, drinking, dancing, and eating.
Commoners lived very differently, with most being traders, artisans, or wage laborers. If they owned a business, they would employ other workers. Rome offered a wide variety of products, from luxury items like gold, precious stones, perfumes, and wines to everyday necessities like furniture, bronze goods, and food.
As the number of slaves increased, commoners lost jobs and spent their days idle, relying on handouts from the state or their patron. Some enlisted in the army, as did patricians, but in higher ranks.
All families, from the humblest to the most affluent, had one or two specialized slaves (barbers, hairdressers, teachers, treasurers) or generic slaves who performed housework.