Plebeians and patricians made up the social formation in the early Roman republic. These two groups were much different from one another. Plebeians consisted of more people than the patricians and were much poorer than them. Plebeians included farmers, merchants, and landowners who were not as affluent as the patricians. Patricians made up an aristocratic …show more content…
Marriages were meant to produce children, but divorce had become an acceptable and easy process. Some girls from the upper-class received an education, but many started getting married when young boys were still in school. Roman women were treated better than Athenian women since they were allowed to go where they pleased, spend time with friends, and be social. Women were not able to participate in public life.
In the Roman republic, the senate and magistracies were dominated by the wealthy. Romans overtime became very concentrated on their money, possessions, property, and rank. This distracted from focusing on society as a whole.
When the Roman republic transformed into an empire, social aspects in Roman life also changed. Slaves remained popular as they were still a symbol of social status. However, slave owners accumulated more slaves in the Roman Empire than they did in the Republic. In the Roman Empire, a humanitarian attitude was developed toward slaves, but the conditions of slavery did not …show more content…
The Early Roman Empire implemented ideas for social classification that were used in the republic. Roman citizens made up one of three classes: senatorial, the equestrian, or lower class. The senators made up the ruling class in the Early Roman Empire. They completed important government and military duties. The equestrian class expanded under Augustus’s rule and became open to citizens of Rome that held property value of a certain amount and were well respected. The equestrian class could also have roles in the military and government, but these roles were much less prominent. Lower classes consisted of most Roman citizens. The power they had previously had in the Roman republic ceased. In Roman society, changing classes was directly related to wealth. If you were not wealthy, it was very difficult to switch