Plebeians

The Plebeians (Plebs) made up the majority of Rome's inhabitants. Plebeians were a class of citizens who were usually non aristocratic farmers, artisans and shopkeepers, and some were wealthy. They did have rights, such as the right to serve in the Assembly and the right to vote, trade, hold property, and administer judicial self defense. At first they were not as privileged as the patricians and could never marry one. They could not hold a public office and could not receive entry into the Senate and there was no recorded bill of rights. But with the establishment of the tribune of the people in the fifth century BC, they gradually achieved political equality with the patricians. First marriage of plebeians with patricians was accepted, then plebeians were admitted to the quaestorship, the consulate, the dictatorship, the censorship, and the praetorship. They finally obtained the important priestly offices of the pontificate and augurship in 300 BC. Later the name plebs passed to the lowest ranks of the people.