Social Class Structure in Ancient Rome

When discussing the ideas of Ancient Roman cuisine, it is quintessential to explain the Ancient Roman class structure, as the cuisine drastically changes depending on which class you fell into. The creation of these classes starts all the way back in the founding of Rome, when you have the births of the Patricians and the Plebeians. When Rome was founded in 753 BCE, it was distinguished by Romulus, the first king, that there would be a few great families in Rome that would hold the majority of the power. These families became the Patricians (x percent), which continued to hold power into the republic, although their power decreased over time. They could be recognized by their dyed shoes and colorful togas. The Plebeians were everyone else and held little power. Below the Plebeians were slaves, who comprised around 20% of the Roman population at its peak.

This structure continued for hundreds of years until 505 BCE, the founding of the republic. A new position, the Tribune of the Plebs, was created, ensuring that the plebeians kept their voice. Furthermore, laws barring plebs from marrying patricians or becoming senators were abolished.

It would be a disservice as well to avoid mentioning the enslaved people in Rome. These people were not how you and I would think of slavery today, as it was not race-based whatsoever: slaves were people from all over the Roman Empire who had been conquered or sold to the Romans. They lived hard lives and had few rights, being the property of their masters. However, as time progressed, a process formed in which many slaves were able to gain freedom. The process was called manumission, which was based on the core idea that your former master had to be paid back in order to provide for your loss. Pretty much by granting you freedom, you still must pay your master back over the following years, keeping a client-patron relationship. This subsequently resulted in a social class of its own, Liberti or freedpeople.

These liberti had fewer rights than those who had never been enslaved, not having the ability to run for senate or any other political positions. We see many influential freedpeople in Rome, with Augustus writing in his Res Gestae, his personal memoir about his life and success, about a freedwoman named Phoebe, whom he considers one of his dearest friends. However, even when freedpeople do reach higher wealth and status, they are still looked down upon by many because of the taint that slavery brought to someone in Ancient Rome. That said, the children of these freedpeople became completely free Roman citizens, not having to continue with the outcomes of their parents.

During the Republic, you have the major expansion of the Romans, in which they conquer the rest of the Italian peninsula, along with Greece and parts of Africa and Spain. From this conquering of the Italian peninsula is the birth of the Socii or “ ally”. They are people who were conquered and were not granted full rights; however were welcome in the empire, having a similar status to that of freedpeople. Over time, these groups gained more rights, and by the end of the Republic, they were full citizens.

Over the next couple of hundred years, these distinctions faded between Patrician and Plebeian as the classes began to merge into one, as many Patrician families faded into obscurity, while rich Plebeian families rose through the ranks. By the start of the empire, 27 BCE, a property-based class system replacing the old class system, with there being 7 total levels, was created:

●       Equestrians: the highest class having the most power, votes, money and weapons when going into war

●       Classes I-V:  total wealth going down as you proceed up from I-V.

●       Proletariate: The lowest class whose significant economic value was the labour that they provided.

Thus, by the beginning of the empire, the class structure went as follows from most to least power: Senators/Equestrians, Class I-V, Proletariate, Freedpeople/Socii, Slaves. Freedpeople could still gain power and wealth; however lacked the same rights as those above. The significance of this overall class system is that as you move down the classes, your meal would become much simpler and barebones, whereas at the top, you get the highest, most exotic, and luxurious foods. While Apicius includes recipes for all classes, the majority of the recipes, especially the ones that feature exotic and normal proteins, would be designated for the upper class of senators and land owners of great magnitude.

Sources: Ecce Romani III, Prentice Hall