CI: Cultural Lesson - Roman Citizenship

Roman Citizenship

Throughout its history, Rome grew from a small city on the Tiber River to an expansive Empire stretching across Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa. This image provides a modern look at the Tiber river. The earliest settlers built Rome on this river for strategic and economic reasons. Even though it is just one piece of the puzzle, this river helped Rome grow from a tiny settlement to a massive empire.

Romanization

A reconstructed gateway to a Roman castra (camp). This castra was located in Britannia, out on the frontier of Roman settlement. Many Roman settlements in what we now call the United Kingdom became cities, which flourished, even after the Romans were gone. Several retained evidence of the initial Roman settlement, using a derivative of castra (-chester) at the end of the city's name: Westchester, Colchester, Manchester, etc.

As Romans encountered non-Roman people, Roman culture spread and influenced foreigners into becoming “Romanized” residents and citizens through a variety of strategies. First and foremost, Roman culture was spread by military conquest or military alliances with local cultures. Resistance led to enslavement or decimation. Yet more often when local rulers and aristocracy agreed to cooperate, Rome welcomed client kings and openly shared Roman culture and privileges among their new subjects. This would work only so long as Rome was given ultimate rule. As the army extended the frontier, they brought along Roman customs, luxuries, religion and culture. Frontier life at Roman forts provided opportunities for interaction with local craftsmen, traders, and intermarriage with women. Over time, Roman soldiers were recruited from throughout the Empire.  Service in Rome’s auxiliary troops eventually led to grants of Roman citizenship.

Roman Citizenship

Roman citizenship offered many privileges including suffragium (the right to vote), commericum (the right to make contracts), access to the cursus honorum (the right to hold public office) and conubium (the right to legal marriage). Citizenship did also come with responsibilities such as paying taxes and a term of military service for male citizens. The protection and benefits of citizenship made it highly desirable.

The rules for Roman citizenship were quite complex. Male citizens, cives Romani, held many privileges with full citizenship; while female citizens were not allowed to vote or hold public office. Birthright was the primary indicator of citizenship; however, additional factors sometimes granted Roman citizenship. Latini (people from other Latin states in Italy) outside Rome who became residents were granted limited citizenship. Servi (slaves) could be granted citizenship through manumission. Peregrini (foreigners) living in conquered lands, could be granted limited or full citizenship rights. Troops who served in the Roman army could also be granted citizenship. The granting of Roman citizenship, thus offering the promise of improved rights and social status, to non-Romans was an essential tool in the process of Romanization.

This tombstone pictured to the right marks the grave of a soldier named T. Calidius Severus. He started his career in the military as an auxiliary, but when he earned his citizenship, he became centurion of the Legio XV Apollinaris. Foreign born soldiers would gain citizenship rights after 25 years of service.

Diversity in Ancient Rome

Much like Pseudolus’ students, who hailed from many backgrounds, ancient Rome was a center of diversity in the ancient world. People came to the eternal city - Roma - from the Balkans and the banks of the Nile, from Hispania and Southern Turkey, from Germania and Ethiopia. During the reign of Augustus, census data shows that the citizen population of Rome was close to 4 million people throughout the Empire. At Rome’s height of power in the 2nd century CE, the city alone would grow to contain nearly 1 million inhabitants while the Empire served as home to as many as 65 million people.

This mosaic from Pompeii depicts musicians performing. So much of Roman art was influenced by other cultures: the style of the clothing and masks worn by the performers and even the mosaic itself were all a great combination of cultural influences from around the Mediterranean. If you look carefully in the top corner of the image, you can even see a brief inscription written into the mosaic in Greek.

Roman advancements in technology, trade, politics and military control supported a multicultural society not unlike many modern societies today. That multiculturalism was possible because of the Roman's general view of cultural inclusivity - as long as the cultural practice did not oppose the government or any central tenant of Roman belief, the Romans were open to it. Because of this inclusivity, Romans adopted gods and goddesses from other cultures, such as the Egyptian goddess, Isis, as well as picking up major cultural practices from conquered territories, such as their adoption of Greek-style literature and poetry. The Hellenization (the adoption of Greek culture) of Rome’s cultural practices led to a famous quote from the Roman poet Horace: Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit - “Captive Greece took captive her savage captor (Rome).”