Roman Social Hierarchy

Directions: Each portion of the diagram represents a different social class, and the size of each portion represents the population of that class.

Emperor Absolute ruler of Rome, hereditary U position. Emperor for life, lived in P wealth & luxury. P E 1. Patricians R High economic & political position. Males served on the Senate and owned land. Women C were forbidden to marry below their class. L A S 2. Plebeians S Men held economic positions, had a stable income from their E trade (artisans, merchants), and could move up to patrician class. S Women were encouraged to marry a patrician made so their children would be considered patricians. 3. Commons L O Free Roman citizens, but not very wealth. Commons were often poor and jobless. They received W free grains from the government, lived in dirty apartments and enjoyed public entertainment. E R Women in the common class were independent and did not rely on their husbands/fathers to survive. Women would work labor jobs alongside men. C L Children could become plebeians if they gained enough wealth. A S S E S 4. Freed Slaves Bought their freedom or were manumitted (freed by their master). Though a freed person may gain great wealth, they could not move out of the freed class. Children of freed slaves could become common or plebeian.

5. Slaves Were born or sold into slavery. Some slaves were paid for their work and could buy their freedom back. Slaves could also be freed. Children took the social status of their mother (EX: Mother was a slave, children are slaves).

Q: Did social mobility exist within Rome’s class system?

A: Yes, there was mobility between the classes. The child of a slave could even work their way to the common or plebeian class. Unfortunately, freed slaves were stuck within their class even though their children could climb the social hierarchy.