Two important classes were senatorial class (senators) and equestrian class (any person, who possessed a certain amount of wealth.) For instance, the wealthy dominated the legal system; they had control over properties through ownership rights and the use of sanctions, and could distribute them in their favor. As it could be seen, the elite group took the government, possessed vast amounts of land (most of which was conquered during the expansion) and owned slaves. On the other hand, people from lower class (freedmen and slaves) almost owned nothing and had to win the affection of confidence of their masters. The great enrichment of the Roman’s upper class directly and indirectly led to the worsening of life and daily struggles for many plebeians. Therefore, members of different …show more content…
An example that showed the localization of culture was that the provinces were less directly exposed than the capital city to the process of culture transformation, stimulated by the installation of a new emperor. In the countryside impact of the imperial culture was reduced. The imperial or metropolitan culture was itself a blend of ingenious and foreign elements. It could be recognized, that the city of Rome and some other cities were the places, where the citizens could find the best education, a more successful life in terms of income, better entertainment and many more places to socialize. Only the cities provided opportunities for Romans to continue the heritage of their ancestors, for everything – the citizenship, the career in business or politics and the traditions in family life. Another example leads to the social norm of loyalty. Loyalty to the emperor became the key office and high status. Romans were obligated to and could expect support from their families, kinsmen, friends, patrons and protégés, and clients. This showed that loyalty had many forms and was a needed element in Roman’s society. A great service to the empire and the emperor became a key to a progress