Roman Society

Question 1

What does it mean to be a Roman citizen?
Name 3-7 things they were entitled to

Answer 1

-Full protection under Roman law
-Allowed to vote
-Entry to public games
-Free or heavily subsidised use of the public baths
-Free corn paid by state (in Rome)
-Entitled to fair trail
-Exempt from brutal punishments such as crucifixion

Question 2

Who was and wasn’t granted citizenship?

Answer 2

-Full citizenship only entitled to men
-Slaves could be granted citizenship
-Full citizenship rights not given to women

Question 3

What did Romans wear to mark their status as citizens

Answer 3

Iron ring

Question 4

Under what class did most citizens belong to

Answer 4

Below senators and equites

Question 5

What did most poor citizens join

Answer 5

The legions (the Roman army), only open to citizens

Question 6

What was the reward for joining a legionary

Answer 6

Cash payment or plot of land, seen as way to climb social ladder

Question 7

What could non Roman citizens join to gain citizenship

Answer 7

The auxilia (army support), received citizenship after 25 years, children also became citizens

Question 8

Who was part of the highest class in Roman society

Answer 8

Equites and Senators (0.1%)

Question 9

Who were the Equites and what roles did they have
Name 3 roles

Answer 9

-Equestrian order, men wealthy enough to own a horse
-Civil roles:
-Managed financial affairs
-Appointed governors
-Engaged in trade and commerce (senators couldn’t)
-Wore a toga with narrow purple stripes with gold finger rings

Question 10

What were the requirements to become an Equate

Answer 10

-Open to men who’s property worth 400,000 sestertius ($696,000 today)
-Wealthy enough to own a horse
-Often successful businessmen

Question 11

Who were the Senators and what roles did they have
Name 3 roles

Answer 11

-Highest group in roman society
-Elected magistrates (consols and praetors)
-Governed provinces
-Led armies
-Elected priests
-Wore a broad purple strip on toga
-Roughly 600 senators

Question 12

What were the requirements to become a Sentaor

Answer 12

-Had to own property worth 1 million sestertius ($1,740,000 today)
-Money must come from land (could not make money through trade)
-had to have been born in the senatorial class

Question 13

Name 3 types of Roman slaves

Answer 13

-Domestic slaves
-Industrial slaves
-Public slaves

Question 14

What could senators stand in election to become?

Answer 14

a magistrate

Question 15

TRUE OR FALSE
only senators were allowed to stand for the role as a magistrate.

Answer 15

True

Question 16

What were magistrates?

Answer 16

politician who held the main legal and political offices

Question 17

What were the two most important offices in roman politics?

Answer 17

Consul and praetor

Question 18

What was it like being a domestic slave (location, work, treatment, etc)

Answer 18

-Private household
-Educated slaves could be tutors
-Slave women did domestic tasks (cooking, childcare)
-Male slaves work for paterfamilias
-Most comfortable slave type

Question 19

What was it like being an industrial slave (location, work, treatment, etc)

Answer 19

-Laborious tasks; mines, factories, farms, rowers
-Grim & dangerous conditions
-Short life expectancy
-Convicted criminals

Question 20

What was it like being a public slave (location, work, treatment, etc)

Answer 20

-Owned by state rather than individual
-Upkeep of temples, baths, public buildings
-Public construction or maintenance (roads, aqueducts)
-Gladiators, chariot racers, actors (entertainment)
-Educated slaves worked as scribes in civil service

Question 21

How were slaves treated in ancient Rome

Answer 21

-Slaves fed well so they were more productive
-Women slaves were domestic slaves
-Lots of slaves wen to gladiator school (eg. Spartacus), kept in good conditions so they could fight well
-Industrial slaves worked hard until death
-If slaved killed their master, all slaves the master owned would be killed

Question 22

Who was Spartacus

Answer 22

-Strong willed warrior, became a slave
-Desired freedom, escaped, created rebellion army
-Liberated many other slaves
-Synonymous with freedom

Question 23

What could slaves become to be liberated

Answer 23

Freedmen

Question 24

How could a Roman slave earn their freedom
(Name 3 things)

Answer 24

-Buy it by saving money
-Become elderly
-Good worker/ Kind master
-Pregnancy

Question 25

What did a freedman wear to mark their freedom

Answer 25

Felt cap

Question 26

What rights did freedmen have
(Name 3 things)

Answer 26

-Roman citizenship
-Voting
-Legal protection (fair trials)
-Pass citizenship to children

Question 27

What were the negatives of being a freedmen
(Name 3 things)

Answer 27

-Political restriction, could not join Senate (senator & equate)
-Social stigma, prejudice
-Obligation to former master (now patron)
-Illegible for military service in legions

Question 28

What political position could freedmen hold

Answer 28

Augustales

Question 29

What did Augustales do
(Name 3 things)

Answer 29

-Preserve honour of emperor
-Help lead religious festivals
-Upkeep of temples

Question 30

What was some benefits of becoming an Augustales

Answer 30

-Wear bordered toga of public official
-Hold high political office
-Show loyalty to empire which freed him

Question 31

Name a famous tomb of a freedman

Answer 31

The tomb of Naevoleia Tyche

Question 32

Name 5 features of the Naevolia Tyche tomb

Answer 32

-Heavily decorated
-Elevated like an altar
-Made of marble
-Depicts ships/sailing
-Ceremonial stool
-Located in enclosure

Question 33

What does the Naevolia Tyche tomb tell us about freedmen
(Name 3 things)

Answer 33

-Freedmen could become extremely wealthy
-Tomb is a symbol of her and her husbands wealth and influence in Pompeii
-Munatis (the husband) was an Augustales, a public figure
-Freedmen could own their own slaves