- Understand the Ranks or Classes in Pompeii -
Upper ClassConsul (consules): highest serving class that has the power to control the army. They have two consuls so the final law will not be bias and they will have different opinions.
Senatorial class (senatores): political people. Included all men who served in the Senate. This class was dominated by nobles (ancestor included at least 1 consul). when the first man in a family qualifies as a consul, he qualifies his family with the noble status. Equestrian Class (equites): economic people. a man could be come equestrian status, if he can prove that he had a stable, minimum amount of wealth. If he passes, then his family would automatically get the equestrian status too. |
Lower ClassPlebs or Vulgas (commons) - Free born roman citizens, a special mark of a male citizen was a toga. all roman citizens had the right to contract a legal marriage with another roman citizen and have children who would also be roman citizens
Latins (Latini): free born citizens of Italy. Foreigners (Peregrini): free born man/woman who lived in roman territories Freedpeople (liberti or libertini): people who had been slaves before, but were freed. But they were not fully freed and owed certain duties to their former master Slaves (servi): a system where people are born into slavery or sold into slavery. by law, slaves were properties of their masters |