{"id":9561,"date":"2023-11-27T21:00:14","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T20:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=9561"},"modified":"2023-11-27T21:00:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T20:00:14","slug":"who-could-not-be-a-citizen-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/who-could-not-be-a-citizen-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Could Not Be A Citizen In Ancient Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In ancient Rome, citizenship was a highly prized and guarded privilege. Non-citizens were not allowed to own property or have the same rights as citizens. They could not vote or hold public offices, had no legal protection and could not marry a citizen. In Rome, some people had no access to citizenship due to their descent, while others were prevented from becoming citizens by a limitation on the number of citizens in Rome. <\/p>\n

Citizenship in ancient Rome was based on three criteria: origin, money and marriage. People were required to be born of Roman parents or be adopted by them to be eligible for full citizenship. Citizenship could also be bought for large amounts of money. People who were not eligible for citizenship could be granted other rights. <\/p>\n

The limited number of citizens in Rome was attributed to its history. According to some historians, Roman Citizenship laws aligned with the laws of the neighboring nations. For example, the rule of descent was in line with the laws of the neighboring Etruscan cultures, while the rule of marriage was in line with the laws of the neighboring Greek city-states. <\/p>\n

Non-citizens of Roman origin had limited rights. They were allowed to own property, attend public meetings and could become religious priests, but could not be full citizens. Other non-citizens, such as slaves and foreigners, had little or no rights at all. They were not allowed to marry a citizen, hold public offices, or have legal protection until they were granted. <\/p>\n