Patricians:
The patricians were the upper class, the nobility
and wealthy land owners. Plebeians:
The plebeians were the lower class. Nicknamed
"plebs", the plebeians included everyone in ancient Rome
(except for the nobility, the patricians) from well-to-do tradesmen all the
way down to the very poor.
Things
that were the same in both classes
Pater
Familias: The family was structured in the same way
in both classes. The
head of the family was the oldest male. That could be the father, the
grandfather, or perhaps even an uncle. Everybody in one family lived under one roof. Women had no authority except in the home. Old age was honored.
Atrium: Life in the home of wealthy
tradesmen and patricians centered around the atrium, the central
courtyard.
Slaves:
If they could afford it, both classes had slaves to do the work.
Citizenship:
The citizens of Rome were adult freemen from both classes - plebs and
patricians. Women, children, and slaves were not citizens. People from all
classes considered themselves Romans.
Religion:
Both classes worshiped the same gods and attended religious
festivals.
Language:
Both classes spoke the same language, Latin.
Forum:
Both classes enjoyed the activities in the Forum, including the many free
activities such as jugglers.
Things
that were different
Social Life:
A wealthy plebeian family and a wealthy patrician family
did not meet socially. Under the kings, it was illegal for a pleb and a
patrician to marry. In 445 BCE, about 60 years after the Roman Republic was
formed, a new law was written that said it
was no longer illegal for plebs and patricians to marry.
Apartment Houses:
Many plebeians lived in apartment houses called flats. Some the apartments
were above or behind their shops. Even fairly well to do tradesmen might chose to
live in an apartment-building compound over their store, with perhaps renters
on the upper stories. Their own apartments might be quite roomy, sanitary and
pleasant, occasionally with running water. But others were not that nice.
The Poor,
Unsanitary Living Conditions: In the poorer apartment houses, an entire
plebeian family
(grandparents, parents, children) might all be crowded into one room, without
running water. They had to haul their water in from public facilities. Fire
was a very real threat because people were cooking meals in crowded quarters,
and many of the flats were made of wood. They did not have toilets. They had
to use public latrines (toilets). The
lower class Romans (plebeians) might have a breakfast of bread, dry or dipped
in wine, and water. Sometimes olives, cheese, or raisins were sprinkled on the
bread.
Rich and Poor
Life Style: The rich had beautiful mosaics on the floors of their
home. They wore lots of jewelry made of gold and gemstones. They had beautiful
clothing. They enjoyed a great deal of leisure time. The poor wore shabby
clothing. Their jewelry was made of painted clay. They worked all the
time.
