did you know that Roman society was based on the Roman family unit which was itself modeled on their founding myth [Music] hello and welcome to world history encyclopedia my name is Kelly and today's video is all about the development of ancient Roman society and their numerous social classes that kept the Empire running as smoothly as possible don't forget the easiest way to support us is by giving this video a thumbs up subscribing to our Channel and hitting that Bell icon for notifications so you don't miss out on any new uploads world history encyclopedia is a non-profit organization and you can find us on patreon a brilliant site where you can support our work and receive exclusive benefits in return your support helps us create videos twice a week so make sure to check it out via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via the patreon link down below according to Legend Rome was founded in 753 BCE by the demigod Romulus after he killed his brother Remus and shortly afterwards took a wife from the women of the Sabine tribe who had been abducted by Roman raiding parties when the sabines mobilized a war party to get their women back romulus's wife Priscilla rallied The Other Women to stop the violence and agreed to remain with Romulus the story is thought to represent the role of women in linking families and maintaining peace but also the establishment of the family unit with the male as its head and the female subordinate this model would characterize the family throughout Rome's history as the state was formed on the model of the family Roman society was patrilineal with the consul during the Roman Republic or emperor during the Roman Empire serving as the father of the people who then showed proper respect for his position through obedience the family was the foundation of Roman society as the position of Consul or Emperor was based directly on the Peter familias head of the household who was responsible for making just decisions for his wife children and elderly family members fathers decided who their children would marry and when the occupation of sons usually the same as the fathers and how the home would function while at the same time managing their business and participating in the political life of the city if they were a free citizen in good standing in society the head of state held this same kind of power and the social classes deferred to him as members of a collective family there were initially two classes in ancient Rome during the time of the Republic dating between 509 and 27 BCE the patricians of the upper class and the plebeians of the lower class although these terms are often interpreted as rich and poor that is not so patricians could make less and live more modestly than plebeians and vice versa the laws favored the patricians until the period known as the conflict of the orders between Circa 500 and 287 BCE when the plebeians objected to their treatment under the law and demanded reform this was met by the creation of the position of Tribune in the Senate representing plebeian interests and by the public posting in 449 BCE of the 12 tables the laws of Rome which applied to everyone by this time there were five social classes in Rome patricians equities plebeians freedmen and slaves and these classes would continue through the period of the Roman Empire between 27 BCE and 476 CE in the west and until 1453 in the east patricians and plebeians were roughly the upper and lower class but not all patricians were wealthy patricians were the landed aristocracy who could trace their families back to the earliest times of Rome plebeians were essentially everyone else patricians served in the Senate and during the Republic the consul came from this class the occupations that contributed to the Daily function of Rome Architects Artisans Cooks contractors Farmers teachers came from the plebeian class the equities were the equestrian class who were originally mounted knights in the days of The Early Republic and were allotted a certain amount of money for the purchase and care of their horse they were considered upper class but not on par with the patricians patricians were prohibited from dealing in Commerce as it represented a conflict of interest with the legislative duties of the Senate and so the equities who were banned from serving as Senators became the bankers tax collectors and business managers of the Republic and then the empire Friedman were slaves who had brought their freedom all been granted it by their masters a Freedman or woman continued to rely on the patronage of their former master in business which was usually what they had done as slaves but were free to do as they pleased otherwise freed slaves were granted citizenship but were barred from public office their children though had the full rights of a citizen including holding positions of authority slaves with the lowest class in Rome they were understood as the property of their masters and had no rights before the law slaves worked as unskilled laborers on farms in the mines at the ports of Austria and elsewhere but could also be accountants tutors teachers Artisans skilled Craftsmen or musicians slave Traders bought or captured people of many different talents and social positions from around the borders of the Empire who frequently wound up as slaves in Rome many slaves became famous Gladiators with large fan bases owing to their Charisma and skill in the arena slaves sometimes became trusted members of the family caring for the children and taking care of tasks around the home these slaves like anyone else in the family were subject to the decisions of the head of the house the father whose will was understood as the law of the home fathers even decided whether a newborn would live or die as he had complete control over the lives of his family when a child was born he or she was placed on the floor and the father called into the room he could either pick the child up showing acceptance or turn his back on it in rejection if rejected the infant was taken out and left to die in the street or field more daughters than sons are thought to have been rejected as Sons were considered necessary in carrying on the family name the abandoned infants either died were taken in by strangers or were raised by slave traders who later sold them women's rights were dictated first by their fathers and then their husbands girls were brought up to run a household take care of the children and help Advance their husband's career but could still file for divorce inherit own and sell property including slaves and run their own businesses women could even obtain abortions though only with the consent of their husband or father women had no legal right over their children who in the event of divorce lived with their father the legal marrying age for a girl was 12 and for a boy 15 but men usually married around the age of 26. men were considered mentally unstable between the ages of 15 and 25 while girls were thought to mature earlier leading to the practice of young girls being married to much older men there was no marriage ceremony in ancient Rome like what we would recognize today but there was a ritual conducted just after Sunrise symbolizing the new life of the couple where the bride would recite a vow to honor and obey her husband followed by a great feast a member of the clergy would be present as witness but did not officiate once married the husband carried on the family business and the wife maintained the household which included making sure the spirits of the home were properly respected just as the family was the basic model for the state the household Spirits were reflected in the collective religious belief how Spirits like the paneers and panates spirits of The Pantry in the kitchen the parentes spirits of one's immediate family lares spirits of one's ancestors mayonnaise spirits of the collected dead and lemurrays spirits of the angry Dead all needed to be considered honored and placated to maintain a harmonious and peaceful home in this same way the gods of Rome required proper respect homage and offerings for the state to prosper throughout the year festivals were held honoring the many different gods of the Roman Pantheon as well as lesser spirits of the natural world the Vestal virgins served the goddess of the Hearth and Home Vesta and just as a family needed to acknowledge and thank their household Spirits so the state-sponsored Vestal virgins were responsible for acknowledging and thanking Vesta so that she in turn would bless the city with continued Harmony and prosperity the Romans believed in a quid pro quo relationship with their gods this for that and recognized their obligation in honoring the gods was rewarded by Divine favor in military victories abundant harvests and profitable trade among other blessings gods were worshiped at public ceremonies in private observances and through festivals the most popular and best-known religious Festival was the saturnalia honoring Saturn the god of the Harvest celebrated annually in December during which people dressed up decorated their homes with flowers and wreaths took time off work and exchanged gifts with friends and family members if this sounds a lot like Christmas it's because the Christian holiday replaced the old one but the type of observances were continued the gods were an integral aspect of every Roman's life and as their beliefs spread throughout their empire came to be adopted or appreciated by others who continued the observances or eventually reformed them as Christian rights in this same way many other aspects of Roman society were adopted by others adapted to different cultures and continued sometimes in familiar forms up through the present day would you have liked to live in Roman society why or why not let us know what you think in the comments below if you enjoyed this video make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to 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