Social Hierarchy Of The Principate

[Ursus]

Social Hierarchy of the Principate

 

 

I. Imperial Family

- A. The Princeps

- B. Other members of the Imperial family and their palace courtiers

 

(Classes II - VI are collectively known as honestiores, the aristocratic classes that could not receive corporal punishment and enjoyed other legal privileges)

 

II. Praetorian prefect (equestrian order with rank of eminetissimus)

 

III. Senatorial order.

- A: Praefectus Urbi (senior senator in Rome, Augustus' deputy for urban affairs)

- B: Senatorial Legates

-- 1) Senators of Consular rank serving as overall provincial commanders (note: Senators with Consular ancestors were often referred as nobiles, who were more prestigious than newcomers to the Senate)

-- 2) Senators with rank of praetor serving as legion commanders to Consular legates

C) Non-office holding Senators

 

 

IV. Equestrian Order

- A: Rank of eminetissimus given to praetorian prefects who came to outrank Senators (see above)

- B: Rank of perfectissimus given to other senior office-holding equestrians, such as prefect of Egypt

- C: Rank of egregius given to the equestrian procurators of minor provinces and imperial estates

(note: sub-classes 1-3 are often referred to as the equestrian nobility (equestrias nobilitas)

D: Non-office holding equestrians (merchants and local notables)

 

V. Decoriones - (local officials)

- A. Duoviri iuridicundo - two senior local magistrates

- B. Aediles - public works officers

- C. Quaestores - financial officers

- D. Censitor - record keeper

- E. Curiales - non-office holding town councilor

 

VI. Veterans. While veterans were composed of commoners and non-citizens, upon honorable discharge they were given the status of honestiores. Some found their way into the decurion class. A veteran who achieved the rank of primus pilus could be elected into the equestrian order - and from there into the equestrian nobility.

 

 

 

(Classes VII - VIII are collectively know as humiliores)

 

VII. Freepeople

- A: Augustales - wealthy freedmen who organized the imperial cult, and financed related projects on public festivals and building projects (elected by the town councils)

- B: appiritores - lictors, scribes and other staff members of Roman officials

- C. Urban freemen

-- 1) wealthy

-- 2) poor

D: rural dwellers (uneducated provincials who often were ignorant of Latin and Greek)

C. recently manumitted slaves

 

VIII. Slaves

A: Educated slaves serving as appendages of imperial government

B: household (domestic slaves), sometimes acting as procurators of estates for wealthy freemen

C: labor intensive slaves (agriculture, mining)

[phil25]

Where does the position of the Praetorian Prefect come from? I mean in terms of sources.

 

I'm just a little surprised that he takes precedence over consulars and other Senatorial magistrates.

 

And what did the hierarchy actually mean in terms of practical use?

 

Phil

[Germanicus]

Where does the position of the Praetorian Prefect come from? I mean in terms of sources.

 

Sejanus would be an example I guess. I've always seen them as close to the right hand man for the Princeps.

 

Nice one Ursus !

[phil25]

Sejanus occurred to me, but he would have been an exception, surely as the "partner" of Tiberius' labours.

 

That is why I asked about the source and the practicality.

 

In the UK the order of precedence has (even today) some social and ceremonial uses (processions, Coronations, official seating plans for banquets etc).

 

But I don't quite see how it would have worked in Rome.

 

Imperium was important - are we saying that the Prefect had greater imperium than a consul or a governor in his province?

 

Speaking order in the Senate reflected offices held etc.

 

So how does Ursus' excellent (and I am sure soundly researched ) list apply? In short, what does it tell us and what use is it?

 

Phil

[Ursus]

The above work is highly dependant on the following:

 

Garnsey, Peter & Saller, Richard. The Roman Empire: Economy, Society and Culture. University of California Press. Los Angeles, California. 1987.

 

An interesting work by the way

[phil25]

Thanks very much, Ursus. I understand much better now. But I am still not entirely convinced.

 

I am relieved that the evidence relates to the end of the principiate because it would fit better with Tigellinus (say) under Nero, or the whole court set-up under Domitian.

 

Attendance on the Emperor, as "captain of the Guard" (as it were) would inevitably place the prefect in close proximity to the princeps/emperor. A modern parallel would be officers such as Gold Stick in Waiting, and the Major General Commanding the Household Brigade, who ride close to the Sovereign at military parades such as The Queen's Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour) irrespective of their civil or military rank and precedence. I assume the Praetorian Prefect would have done similarly.

 

I am quite at ease with the situation and all you say as the empire progressed - the praetorian prefects indeed became chief ministers (viziers?). I suppose the question is how quickly, and by what steps, that position was reached.

 

Thanks again for such a full, illuminating and well-composed reply.

 

Phil

[Kosmo]

Great info

Decuriones are not part of the equestrian order?

[Ursus]

Great info

Decuriones are not part of the equestrian order?

 

They were technically separate classes. But those equestrians who did not hold imperial office and were only local notables probably differed from decuriones only by their amount of wealth and their dress.

[Kosmo]

I see.

Thank you for the answer.

[Primus Pilus]

I'm chiming in a bit late here, but I was randomly struck with a thought regarding the Praetorian Praefecture. I suppose it could be argued that the social/political status of the Praetorian Praefect may have been fairly dependent upon the Princeps himself. The accumulation of power occurs most earnestly under the usual suspects (ie Sutorius Macro under Gaius, Burrus with Nero, Perennis and Cleander with Commodus, etc.)

and the clear case of Sejanus with Tiberius.

 

A case could be argued that the Praefectus Aegypti was a very close rival for the top Equestrian post, and its difficult to argue with provincial appointments such as Britannia, Pannonia and Syria with command of multiple legions. However, when we consider that Vespasian actually made Titus (who had been clearly marked as Caesar and heir from the very beginning of Vespasian's victory) the Praetorian Prefect, the position's importance and standing is quite clearly illustrated. That does not necessarily stand as an absolute since Titus still outranked any other position by virtue of his status as "Caesar" , but I suppose it lends additional support to the notion that the Praetorian Praefect was essentially the top ranking appointment in the Principate.

[Guest caesarimperator]

An importan event isd that under the severian dinasty the pretorian prefect is too open to senators.