Common Question Probably. How Would A Roman Prove His Citizenship?

2,391 Views | 10 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by aalan94
Madman
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AG
Lots of variations I am sure for time and geography but what would a common way be for a Roman in Rome to prove he could serve?


Sapper Redux
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Pretty easy, if he spoke with his hands and spent two hours shouting with his mother before she fainted, he's probably Italian.
Rabid Cougar
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Simply stated that they were Roman citizens.
aalan94
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Yes, but the Romans relied heavily on auxiliaries. Most of Caesar's cavalry was non-Roman.
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aalan94
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JJMt, I think you're right, I just can't remember when that change happened.
Rabid Cougar
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JJMt said:

By the last couple of hundred years of the Empire, weren't most legionnaires non-Roman? Weren't many, if not most, in fact Germanic? I was under the impression that serving in the legions was one way to earn citizenship.
You are correct. They became citizens when they finished their 20 years in the legions.
MouthBQ98
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They kept quite extensive records and rolls. Citizenship was prized. Citizens were assigned to a voting "tribe", which was more or less a grouping of citizens that had the same representative politicians, and were enrolled to vote in the same area. These same rolls and records were used to assess taxes, so you can bet they were well maintained. Citizens who gained the title by grant were given plaques or ID documents that described how and when it was granted. Faking citizenship could be done, but if you were found out I imagine the results were unpleasant, considering how fiercely the rest of the population prized it and how many of those were legionary or auxiliary veterans or their families.
NE PA Ag
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Perhaps they were thrown off the Tarpeian Rock for faking it.
tyunelil
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It's hard to know who are the people today have the roman blood, but most probably, they could be found where the Romans resided before which is Italy and other nearby places.
Rabid Cougar
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tyunelil said:

It's hard to know who are the people today have the roman blood, but most probably, they could be found where the Romans resided before which is Italy and other nearby places.
I would say any place that used to be a part of the Roman Empire for sure. That would include a large part of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Basically all of the Mediterranean drainage basin.
aalan94
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"Roman blood" is pretty meaningless as a concept. It's like saying "American blood." Rome was nowhere near homogeneous even in the city.
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