Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 14, Lesson 2: Social Rank in the Empire (pp. 436-439)
I. Three Social Classes
B. The elite made up less than 2% of the people, while the "more humble" included most of the free men and women in the empire.
C. Slaves may have made up as much as one third of the people in the empire, and were completely at the mercy of their masters.
II. The Importance of Social Level
B. Romans could change social position through the gain or loss of wealth.
C. An individual could improve social position through gaining wealth, but this was hard to do.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. Roman society was divided into three major classes -- the elite, the "more humble," and the slaves -- determined by birth and wealth.
A. Social divisions were clearly defined as seen in ancient Rome.
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