Common Social Differences Of Ancient Egypt And The Roman Empire

“Civilization never stands still; if in one country it is falling back, in another it is changing, evolving, [and] becoming more complicated” – Arthur Keith. This is the case of Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire, two magnificent civilizations wrapped in a twisted fate. It was when the Roman Republic defeated Egypt’s army that it became a prosperous empire. Even though Ancient Egypt existed thousands of years before the start of the Roman Empire, both civilizations strikingly shared common social aspects in society. In addition to similarities, major differences were also seen in daily life. Both Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire had social classes based on wealth, property, heredity, and freedom. Slaves in both civilizations were looked down upon, due to their low status. Yet, the Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt differed in their cities, where one had an organized approach, while the other had a random assortment near the Nile River.
Roman and Egyptian social order was mainly organized in a pyramid based on certain factors such as wealth and occupation. Importance was ranked in increasing order; …show more content…
With no freedom and wealth, if any, most slaves were subject to harsh treatment and poor living conditions. They were commonly a status symbol for the aristocrats. By “owning” these slaves, nobles and other high-ranking officials marveled in delight at the prospect of raising ones’ status in society. Unlike the 19th century where slavery was categorized by skin color, race did not play a factor in ancient times. Instead, slaves were taken as “war captives” from other countries where battles were fought, regardless of race or ethnicity (Cartwright). In Rome, it’s believed that “1 in [every] 5 people across the empire were slaves” (Cartwright). Considering that the Roman Empire was one of the most populated and advanced empires of its time, there’s no doubt that slaves were present in almost every aspect of daily