Ancient Roman Social Classes

The daily life in Rome was largely dependent on one’s social class. In ancient Roman society, the social classes included the Patricians, Equestrians, Curials, free or freed Romans, and slaves. The Patricians were the incredibly wealthy aristocratic families, however, they were not allowed to enter into commerce. Also, they were the families that made up the senatorial order. They lived on large agricultural estates. The Patricians were at the top of the social hierarchy in ancient Rome. Below the Patricians were the Equestrians. The Equestrians, also known as the knights, were wealthy Romans who possessed the funds to go into battle on horseback. Unlike the Patricians, they were not restricted from entering into commerce. Next, we had the
Most Romans, men and women, received a primary education from the ages seven to eleven. The primary education was essentially basic rote memorization with the emphasis on learning how to write and read well (Nagel, p. 251). However, education differed based on class because the upper classes were more inclined to receive additional education than the lower classes. For example, a liberal arts education was generally only for the advanced upper classes. This is largely due to the fact that they had the time and money to spend learning rather than working. During these more advanced educational studies, students would learn how to appropriately participate in public discourse. This skill was necessary in Rome because the ability to debate and persuade people was important in order to be successful in politics. Also, because only a small portion of the Roman society, the elite, needed these rhetoric skills, they saw it as absurd to extend rhetoric education to all of the society; it was considered useless for the type of work that they would be engaged in (Nagel, p. 252). The middle classes that could not afford advanced education still attempted to further their education. They would gather textbooks and other sources in order to advance their knowledge on topics such as philosophy and science (Nagel, p.
Rome was plagued with both man-made and natural disasters, nevertheless, its society persevered for centuries. An example of a man-made disaster was the destruction of an amphitheater constructed by Atilius; he built an arena for gladiatorial combat, however, he was more concerned with making money than the well-being of his guests. Therefore, the amphitheater collapsed and killed or injured an estimated 50,000 people. The calamity caused family members to be alarmed due to the uncertainty of the fate of their loved ones. People rushed to the scene of the collapsed amphitheater in an attempt to find their lost loved ones. Those who were unable to arrive at the scene were alarmed and possessed anxiety about the potential loss of one of their family members. Also, prominent Romans opened their doors to the injured in an attempt to provide medical care to those who were mutilated. Along with providing medical care, they provided supplies for those who were affected (Kebric, p.