The Roman Society

The Roman society was divided into two main groups: the citizens and the non-citizens.

The citizens

At the time of the Monarchy and in the early years of the Republic, social division was based on political rights. When the plebeians were given the same political rights as the patricians, social division was based on wealth.
Citizens were free men who had all political and civil rights. They were divided into:

- honestiores, the wealthiest
- humiliores, plebeians having a much lower social status, both in the city and in the country

Female citizens had fewer rights than a man of the same status.

The non-citizens

This was a large and mixed group. It was formed by all the people who had no right to citizenship:

- conquered populations were non-citizens until 212 AD, when,  thanks to the Edict of Caracalla, they became citizens
- foreigners coming from beyond the Empire's borders who were usually traders or artisans
- freedmen were slaves that had been freed by their owners (manumissio) or who had bought their freedom
- slaves had no rights; they were considered the property of their master. People could become slaves

• if they had been conquered in war
• as a punishment for not paying debts
  
• because they had a parent who was a slave.