Post by Amelia Khemse on Sept 26, 2013 0:49:22 GMT
The Roman Empire is a mix of sophistication with brutality and could suddenly lurch from civilization, using strength and power, to terror, tyranny, and greed.
Daily life in ancient Rome
The social status of any citizen governed the life they led. While all Romans enjoyed the baths and made a feature of the evening meal, their clothes and food, homes and hobbies, were a product of their class.
Those that tried to climb the ranks too quickly were savagely mocked by writers.
More than a city
Rome itself was much more than just one city. Its empire was a vast collection of states, backed up by force. It was not always peaceful. Enemies and rebels like Cleopatra and Boudicca revealed the Roman steel that lay behind its civilization.
Even allowing for the occasional revolt, the empire was an enormous achievement. It was a huge marketplace in which citizens could trade and travel unhindered. This helped the spread of foreign religions like Judaism and early Christianity as far as Rome itself. Slowly, these religions encroached on traditional Roman spirits and gods.
Patronage
Roman society also involved a system of patronage. Members of the upper classes – the patroni – offered protection to freedmen or plebeians, who became their "cliens." Patronage might consist of money, food, or legal help. Traditionally, any freed slaves became the cliens of their former owner.
In return, patroni received respect and political favors. During the empire, cliens were required to offer daily greetings to their patroni, and the number of these greeters helped determine social status. On the frontiers of the empire, Roman generals served as patroni for the people they conquered, while Roman provinces or cities often sought out an influential senator to act as patroni and oversee their interests
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So you want to be an Ancient Roman? Below are the ranks which you can put on your profile.
(NOTE: You will ALWAYS start as a citizen. Your rank MUST be earned. If you have any confusion about what this means message an admin or administrator.)
Patricians
In ancient Rome, the upper-class citizens were called patricians. The patricians had special classes because they had extra money to be highly educated. These classes were arranged due to wealth. The patricians were highly educated and had far more advantages than anyone else. They owned a lot of property, and they were the only ones that could perform religious customs. Patricians had more power than any other social class in Rome because patricians created the laws for the people.Patricians also had a choice in responsibilities. For example, they did not have to be in the military, whereas others were required to participate.
Plebeians
In Ancient Rome, the plebeians were the poor, low-class citizens. There were more plebeians than patricians in Rome. They participated in the army, and they paid the taxes for the city. The plebeians were treated so badly that if they fell into debt, they could be sold into slavery. Many times, the plebeians and patricians fought over the laws of ancient Rome. Since the plebeians were unemployed, the government gave them baths, free grain, and games to keep them quiet and happy. Overall, the plebeians had many more restrictions than the patricians, and they had a more difficult life living in Ancient Rome.
Legatus (Commander)
A general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the leader, and he outranked all military tribunes. In order to command an army independently of the leader or provincial governor, legates were required to be of praetorian rank or higher; a legate could be invested with propraetorian imperium in his own right. Legates received large shares of the army's booty at the end of a successful campaign, which made the position a lucrative one, so it could often attract even distinguished consuls.
Assassins
The assassins formed a very small portion of the Roman Empire. It strictly consisted of twenty well trained and lethal assassins that were used to hunt down the Emperor's enemies without mercy but with little to no trace or detection. The Roman assassins were looked down as the outcasts of the Roman society by all but the highest of nobility who knew their worth. This was because the Assassins Guild recruited from all worlds into their ranks, something unheard of and looked down upon in the great Empire. They were mistreated by the populous, but always welcomed in the courts of the Emperor and those he had placed in power. They cared not for wealth, for what was the worth of a man's life when their line of work could end them in an instant. Instead, the respect given to them by those in power and the fear given by those who did not know their cause fueled the Guild to complete their tasks as flawlessly as they could. Those who choose to join the Roman Assassins Guild must prove their worth in more ways then one before the Emperor and Guild Chief will consider entry. Good luck, and remember to always watch over your shoulders.
Gladiator
An armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the arena. Most were despised as slaves, schooled under harsh conditions, socially marginalized, and segregated even in death.
Soldiers
Born ready for battle. They are professional, stubborn institution backed by an unyielding State, however, they also proved to be adaptive. Not just able to modify weapons, tactics and strategy on the battlefield but also able to engineer masterful sieges, build bridges and fortification and conduct naval warfare.
Camp Prefect
This experienced officer was the legion's battle commander, and was second-in-command during hostilities.
Beneficiarius:
A beneficiarius was a rank given to a senior soldier chosen from the legionary troops. He served as an orderly assigned to a senior officer, to serve as his aide. He was often assigned administrative duties, collected customs duty or tax or supervised the policing of a district, as well as many other duties assigned to this rank.
Beneficiarius Consularis - Consular aid
Beneficiarius Tribuni - aid to a Tribune
Beneficiarius Interpretes - interpreters
Beneficiarius Notarii - secretaries
Beneficiarius Librarii - archivists
Beneficiarius Exceptores - short-hand writers
Beneficiarius Exacti - recorders
Beneficiarius Haruspices - seers
Beneficiarius Classis - fleet quartermaster.
Slaves
Slaves were not citizens, and lacked even the legal standing accorded free-born foreigners. For the most part, slaves descended from debtors and from prisoners of war, especially women and children captured during sieges and other military campaigns in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Carthage. Thus slavery was regarded as a circumstance of birth, misfortune, or war; it was defined in terms of legal status, or rather the lack thereof, and was neither limited to or defined by ethnicity or race, nor regarded as an inescapably permanent condition. Those who were violent or disobedient, or who for whatever reason were considered a danger to society, might be sentenced to labor in the mines, where they suffered under inhumane conditions. Slaves subjected to harsh labor conditions also had few if any opportunities to obtain their freedom.
Since slaves were legally property, they could be disposed of by their owners at any time. All children born to female slaves were slaves. Slaves who had the education or skills to earn a living were often manumitted upon the death of their owner as a condition of his will. Slaves who conducted business for their masters were also permitted to earn and save money for themselves, and some might be able to buy their own freedom.
Daily life in ancient Rome
The social status of any citizen governed the life they led. While all Romans enjoyed the baths and made a feature of the evening meal, their clothes and food, homes and hobbies, were a product of their class.
Those that tried to climb the ranks too quickly were savagely mocked by writers.
More than a city
Rome itself was much more than just one city. Its empire was a vast collection of states, backed up by force. It was not always peaceful. Enemies and rebels like Cleopatra and Boudicca revealed the Roman steel that lay behind its civilization.
Even allowing for the occasional revolt, the empire was an enormous achievement. It was a huge marketplace in which citizens could trade and travel unhindered. This helped the spread of foreign religions like Judaism and early Christianity as far as Rome itself. Slowly, these religions encroached on traditional Roman spirits and gods.
Patronage
Roman society also involved a system of patronage. Members of the upper classes – the patroni – offered protection to freedmen or plebeians, who became their "cliens." Patronage might consist of money, food, or legal help. Traditionally, any freed slaves became the cliens of their former owner.
In return, patroni received respect and political favors. During the empire, cliens were required to offer daily greetings to their patroni, and the number of these greeters helped determine social status. On the frontiers of the empire, Roman generals served as patroni for the people they conquered, while Roman provinces or cities often sought out an influential senator to act as patroni and oversee their interests
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
So you want to be an Ancient Roman? Below are the ranks which you can put on your profile.
(NOTE: You will ALWAYS start as a citizen. Your rank MUST be earned. If you have any confusion about what this means message an admin or administrator.)
Patricians
In ancient Rome, the upper-class citizens were called patricians. The patricians had special classes because they had extra money to be highly educated. These classes were arranged due to wealth. The patricians were highly educated and had far more advantages than anyone else. They owned a lot of property, and they were the only ones that could perform religious customs. Patricians had more power than any other social class in Rome because patricians created the laws for the people.Patricians also had a choice in responsibilities. For example, they did not have to be in the military, whereas others were required to participate.
Plebeians
In Ancient Rome, the plebeians were the poor, low-class citizens. There were more plebeians than patricians in Rome. They participated in the army, and they paid the taxes for the city. The plebeians were treated so badly that if they fell into debt, they could be sold into slavery. Many times, the plebeians and patricians fought over the laws of ancient Rome. Since the plebeians were unemployed, the government gave them baths, free grain, and games to keep them quiet and happy. Overall, the plebeians had many more restrictions than the patricians, and they had a more difficult life living in Ancient Rome.
Legatus (Commander)
A general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the leader, and he outranked all military tribunes. In order to command an army independently of the leader or provincial governor, legates were required to be of praetorian rank or higher; a legate could be invested with propraetorian imperium in his own right. Legates received large shares of the army's booty at the end of a successful campaign, which made the position a lucrative one, so it could often attract even distinguished consuls.
Assassins
The assassins formed a very small portion of the Roman Empire. It strictly consisted of twenty well trained and lethal assassins that were used to hunt down the Emperor's enemies without mercy but with little to no trace or detection. The Roman assassins were looked down as the outcasts of the Roman society by all but the highest of nobility who knew their worth. This was because the Assassins Guild recruited from all worlds into their ranks, something unheard of and looked down upon in the great Empire. They were mistreated by the populous, but always welcomed in the courts of the Emperor and those he had placed in power. They cared not for wealth, for what was the worth of a man's life when their line of work could end them in an instant. Instead, the respect given to them by those in power and the fear given by those who did not know their cause fueled the Guild to complete their tasks as flawlessly as they could. Those who choose to join the Roman Assassins Guild must prove their worth in more ways then one before the Emperor and Guild Chief will consider entry. Good luck, and remember to always watch over your shoulders.
Gladiator
An armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the arena. Most were despised as slaves, schooled under harsh conditions, socially marginalized, and segregated even in death.
Soldiers
Born ready for battle. They are professional, stubborn institution backed by an unyielding State, however, they also proved to be adaptive. Not just able to modify weapons, tactics and strategy on the battlefield but also able to engineer masterful sieges, build bridges and fortification and conduct naval warfare.
Camp Prefect
This experienced officer was the legion's battle commander, and was second-in-command during hostilities.
Beneficiarius:
A beneficiarius was a rank given to a senior soldier chosen from the legionary troops. He served as an orderly assigned to a senior officer, to serve as his aide. He was often assigned administrative duties, collected customs duty or tax or supervised the policing of a district, as well as many other duties assigned to this rank.
Beneficiarius Consularis - Consular aid
Beneficiarius Tribuni - aid to a Tribune
Beneficiarius Interpretes - interpreters
Beneficiarius Notarii - secretaries
Beneficiarius Librarii - archivists
Beneficiarius Exceptores - short-hand writers
Beneficiarius Exacti - recorders
Beneficiarius Haruspices - seers
Beneficiarius Classis - fleet quartermaster.
Slaves
Slaves were not citizens, and lacked even the legal standing accorded free-born foreigners. For the most part, slaves descended from debtors and from prisoners of war, especially women and children captured during sieges and other military campaigns in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Carthage. Thus slavery was regarded as a circumstance of birth, misfortune, or war; it was defined in terms of legal status, or rather the lack thereof, and was neither limited to or defined by ethnicity or race, nor regarded as an inescapably permanent condition. Those who were violent or disobedient, or who for whatever reason were considered a danger to society, might be sentenced to labor in the mines, where they suffered under inhumane conditions. Slaves subjected to harsh labor conditions also had few if any opportunities to obtain their freedom.
Since slaves were legally property, they could be disposed of by their owners at any time. All children born to female slaves were slaves. Slaves who had the education or skills to earn a living were often manumitted upon the death of their owner as a condition of his will. Slaves who conducted business for their masters were also permitted to earn and save money for themselves, and some might be able to buy their own freedom.