Plebeian

Emperor addressing crowd http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Gaius_Gracchus_Tribune_of_the_People.jpg

Emperor addressing crowd
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Gaius_Gracchus_Tribune_of_the_People.jpg

Before social classes existed, Rome comprised of people from all different origins and backgrounds, and these demographics allowed for a very diverse population. If Rome wanted to be successful as an empire, they would have to accept people from all backgrounds, and by recognizing their own heterogeneous origins it, “allowed the Romans to assimilate other people and unite Italy into a strong federation based on an unusual degree of equality and fairness for ancient times” (Ward). Even though Rome was accepting of people from different backgrounds, there still was a separation between the individuals of Rome; the plebeians and the patricians. The Roman plebeian was someone who was a member of the common population of Rome, however they were equivalent to the lower class. They were very poor and consisted of farmers, craftsmen, bakers, and other every day professions. The social class known as the patricians, the more distinguished and wealthy citizens of Rome, opposed them and “sparred incessantly with the restive commoners” (Kebric). This opposition among the classes caused many conflicts within the Roman society and resulted in an even greater division between the people.  This was a major issue because Rome would have trouble balancing their military while issues were occupying society at home. Rome was centered around their military so it was essential that these issues would be fixed. By resolving conflicts and minimizing the gap between social classes, Rome would be able to further their success of their military. In fact, one of the major contributions to Rome’s success throughout Italy and the Mediterranean was arguably the fact that they never let these conflicts within their society affect the success and achievements of their military again. Soon enough, Rome would be characterized as a “growing defensive imperialism” meaning that they would “embark upon preventative wars to protect itself from potential harm”. Their motto was more or less the fact that “waging war is always easier than waging peace”(Kebric).

Image of Roman plebians https://serenitynaturalwellness.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/plebians.jpg

Image of Roman plebians https://serenitynaturalwellness.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/plebians.jpg

This strong sense of protection and defense is something that the people of Rome learned early on in their lives. Romans were basically born armed and ready to fight, and for some people, war was the only thing they knew, since Rome was involved in continuous warfare for long periods of time. Families were very extensive and they basically acted like a small state, having their own system of defense, law, and even government. Class definitely affected families because it determined what part of the military the male would serve in. The word class comes from the Latin word classis, which means “army” or fleet”. Even though class determined what part of the military one would be placed in, it gave the every day plebeian the opportunity to increase their social status to a level where they would rank with those of the patrician families. This gave the plebeians an incentive to join the army because they would no longer be looked down upon as poor, average people of the working class. The military gave not only the plebeians, but also all Roman men the chance to become a hero, to come home from war surrounded with glory, and to prove himself worthy of being Roman. Romans felt a constant drive for manpower, and this helped shape the army because they were relentless when it came to conquering new lands and territories. This was also important to the attitudes of the soldiers and the Roman people as a whole because “the values of loyalty and service fostered by the Roman family and the need for unity in the face of enemies prevented the internal struggles from being too destructive” (Ward). Romans always wanted to be viewed as the most powerful, and one of the ways they achieved this is by being the wealthiest. However, wealth did not necessarily mean money, it meant land. In the simplest terms, Romans believed that “plunder and prestige were objects of warfare” (Ward). Even the poorest plebeian soldier, who came from a family of having little to nothing, thought it was “attractive to increase his wealth by taking someone else’s” (Ward). Although gaining land could be for personal wealth, part of the success of Rome came directly from the military because they were the ones who expanded the territories. This expansion also allowed for the economy to grow and increase trade routes.

Although the military was the biggest way for the people of Rome to come together as one, there were other events and activities to occupy the population.   The circus was one of these events, and it brought in over tens of thousands of viewers. Among these people were merchants, tradesmen, farmers, soldiers, cooks, bureaucrats, the unemployed, slaves, senators, royal families, and even the emperor himself. Normally when people think of a circus, they picture acrobats, elephants, clowns, and so on. This was not the case in Rome. The Roman Circus was actually a horse-racing event that took place in an outdoor stadium. It was a way for all types of people from all classes to come together as one and celebrate an exciting event, and it served as “a meeting place for the Roman world” (Kebric). As a citizen, especially those of the lower class such as plebeians, it could be very difficult to express wants and needs and have them be known to the emperor. However, the circus allowed for these opinions and ideas to be brought up to the emperor because he used it as a way to “communicate with a large segment of the population” (Kebric). Overall, the circus was not just a source of entertainment, but it was a way for the emperor to communicate with the people and unite people from all backgrounds, just like the military did.

Overheard Image of Circus Maximus http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/circus_maximus2.jpg

Overheard Image of Circus Maximus http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/circus_maximus2.jpg

The Roman people were born with the natural instinct of defense and the idea of war was always pulsating throughout their blood. Their sense of unity came from their diverse roots, and the people believed that they existed to support the military. The Romans always wanted to be the wealthiest, individually and as a state, so plebeians looked at the military as a way to increase their wealth and social status.  The military gave Romans the opportunity to showcase their capabilities, and without the military, the people would not be able to prove their worth.

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