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The Plebs was the general body of Roman citizens (as distinguished from slaves) in Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
. They were distinct from the higher class of the patrician
Patrician

The term "patrician" originally referred to a group of elitism citizens in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire became a term for Byzantine Imperial governors in the West....
s. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian . The term is used more commonly today to refer to one who is in the middle or lower class, or who appears to be; however, in Rome, plebeians could become quite wealthy and influential.

The origin of the class separation is unclear.






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The Plebs was the general body of Roman citizens (as distinguished from slaves) in Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
. They were distinct from the higher class of the patrician
Patrician

The term "patrician" originally referred to a group of elitism citizens in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire became a term for Byzantine Imperial governors in the West....
s. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian . The term is used more commonly today to refer to one who is in the middle or lower class, or who appears to be; however, in Rome, plebeians could become quite wealthy and influential.

The origin of the class separation is unclear. However the populace of the city of Rome during the reigns of Romulus
Romulus and Remus

Romulus and Remus are the traditional Founding Fathers of Rome, appearing in Roman mythology as the twin sons of the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia, fathered by the god of war, Mars ....
, Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius

Numa Pompilius , according to legend, was the second king of Rome, succeeding Romulus. After Romulus died, Romans in the city elected a Sabine man to be king, so as to make him loyal to both tribes in Rome....
, and Tullus Hostilius
Tullus Hostilius

Tullus Hostilius was the third of the legendary Kings of Rome. He succeeded Numa Pompilius, and was succeeded by Ancus Marcius.His successful wars with Alba Longa, Fidenae and Veii shadow forth the earlier conquests of Latin territory and the first extension of the Roman territory beyond the walls of Rome....
 were all called patrician; they may have been the only inhabitants of Rome. It is during the reign of Ancus Marcius
Ancus Marcius

Ancus Marcius was the fourth of the Kings of Rome, possibly a legendary figure.Like Numa Pompilius, his reputed maternal grandfather , he was a friend of peace and religion, but was obliged to make war to defend his territories....
 that the plebeians came to Rome from diplomatic alliances as secondary citizens. In any case, around the time of the foundation of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
, the plebeians were excluded from religious colleges and magistracies, and the law of the Twelve Tables
Twelve Tables

The Law of the Twelve Tables was the ancient legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. The Law of the Twelve Tables formed the centerpiece of the constitution of the Roman Republic and the core of the mos maiorum....
 disallowed intermarriage (which was finally allowed by the Lex Canuleia
Lex Canuleia

The Lex Canuleia is a law of the Roman Republic passed in the year 445 BC. Named after the tribune Gaius Canuleius, who proposed it, it abolished a corresponding prohibition in the Twelve Tables, allowing marriage between patricians and plebss, with children inheriting the father's class....
). At the same time, plebeians were enrolled in the gentes
Gens

In ancient Rome, a gens was a clan, caste, or group of families, that shared a common name and a belief in a common ancestor. In the Roman naming convention, the second name was the name of the gens to which the person belonged....
 and tribes, served in the army, and could become military tribune
Tribune

Tribune was a title shared by 10 elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the exclusive right to propose legislation before it....
s.

Even so, the "Conflict of the Orders
Conflict of the Orders

The Conflict of the Orders, also referred to as the Struggle of the Orders, was a political struggle between the plebss and Patricians of the ancient Roman Republic, in which the Plebeians sought political equality with the Patricians....
" over the political status of the plebeians went on for the first two centuries of the Republic, ending with the formal equality of plebeians and patricians in 287 BC. The plebeians achieved this by developing their own organizations (the concilium plebis), leaders (the tribune
Tribune

Tribune was a title shared by 10 elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the exclusive right to propose legislation before it....
s and plebeian aedile
Aedile

Aedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals....
s), and as the ultimate weapon used the secessio, by which the plebeians would literally leave Rome, effectively boycotting the city.

Modern usage

In British, Irish, Australian, New Zealand and South African English pleb is a back-formation
Back-formation

In etymology, back-formation refers to the process of creating a new lexeme by removing actual or supposed affixes. The resulting neologism is called a back-formation, a term coined by James Murray in 1897....
; a derogatory term for someone thought of as inferior, common or ignorant. In Dutch
Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
 it is used literally; someone may be part of the Plebeians. See also: prole
Proletariat

The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class; a member of such a class is proletarian. Originally it was identified as those people who had no wealth other than their sons....
.

Plebes are freshmen
Freshman

A freshman is a first-year student in an educational institution. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves ....
 at the U.S. Military Academy
United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational United States Service academies located at West Point, New York, New York....
, U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy is an undergraduate college in Annapolis, Maryland, United States, that educates and commissions officers of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps....
, Valley Forge Military Academy, The Marine Military Academy
Marine Military Academy

Marine Military Academy, a private college preparatory academy located in Harlingen, Texas, Texas, offers a college preparatory curriculum for boys in grades 8-12 plus one-year of post-graduate study....
, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States service academies. It is charged with training officers for the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the military, or the transportation industry....
 and the California Maritime Academy
California Maritime Academy

The California Maritime Academy is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system and is one of only seven degree-granting maritime academies in the United States....
.

See also

  • Bread and circuses
    Bread and circuses

    "Bread and circuses" is a metaphor for handouts and petty amusements that politics use to gain popular support, instead of gaining it through sound policy....
  • Patrician
    Patrician

    The term "patrician" originally referred to a group of elitism citizens in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire became a term for Byzantine Imperial governors in the West....
  • Roman Republic
    Roman Republic

    The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
  • Plebeian Council
    Plebeian Council

    The Plebeian Council was the principal popular assembly of the ancient Roman Republic. It functioned as a legislative assembly, through which the plebeians could pass laws, elect magistrates, and try judicial cases....
  • Plebe Summer
    Plebe summer

    Plebe Summer is the summer training program which is required of all incoming freshmen to the United States Naval Academy. The program lasts approximately 7 weeks and consists of rigorous physical and mental training....


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