In Ancient Rome, the social hierarchy was divided into 3 main groups. The social hierarchy of an individual was decided by ancestry, wealth and political privilege, attainment of honours and citizenship. The upper class were Patricians – when Ancient Rome was under monarchic rule, all the official and advisories position of the king were occupied by the members of the wealthiest families (Known as Patricians. They were wealthy, had well-paying jobs and lived in Villa’s.
Patricians were mainly land owners, farmers and involved in various government capacities. It was very unlikely and odd for Patricians to be involved in a standard trade class professions. They were also involved in agriculture, for the Patricians agriculture was highly profitable.The Patricians were filthy rich, and they mainly spent their earnings on slaves, villas, and if they had enough, they’d spend it on horses, clothing and entertainment. (such as music, poetry, hunting gear and horse racing). They got their wealth either from their family or jobs.
Patricians had a lot of rights, they were able to do just about everything except for marrying into a lower class rank. They were able to be any government rank (if they were capable of it). They weren’t allowed to have guests over of lower class ranks either.
Apart from the fact that the data was terrible on life expectancy, the average life expectancy for Patricians was about 35 years old. Half of all Roman kids died before the age of 10.Patricians ate the finest foods, and consumed the finest meats. For breakfast they’d enjoy fresh meat, fish, fruits, vegetables and bread. They used honey to sweeten foods/wines. They didn’t have sugar, because they didn’t know about it back then. For lunch they’d consume a cold meal at around 11am.
They’d have bread, salads, olives, cheese, fruits, nuts and cold meat left over from dinner. For dinner they’d mainly have vegetables and meat, served by many of their slaves. For dessert they could have a dish called “Dulcla Domestica” it includes dried dates, ground nuts, a pinch of salt and honey. They got their food from fresh markets near their villas, collected by their slaves.Ancient Roman clothing was significantly different from the clothing we wear today. Patricians would wear something called a toga. It was forbidden for plebeians and Slaves to wear the toga, otherwise they’d be arrested and sent to jail.
Togas were worn by women until the 2nd century B.C…. after then it was a banned prostitute.Patricians lived in large houses called “Villas”. They were rich landowners and they would often have a house in the city and a villa in the country that was run by their slaves. They didn’t have much furniture, and children had their own large bedroom and plenty of space. Patricians were very well educated.
Boys and girls started school at the age of 6 to 7 years old. Boys would focus on subjects such as poetry, literature, history and geography. They also learnt about public speaking and the law.
