THE MEANING OF THE ROMAN CITIZENSHIP

When we read about the pre-Sulla period in ancient Rome, we learn about the war that the Socii did to become Roman citizens. Roman citizens or naturalized citizens had a set of rights and rules that allowed them to be distinguished not only from the slaves but also from the citizens of other poleis.One of the main rights that a Roman citizen had was the right to vote in the Roman assemblies (Ius suffragii).In a city controlled almost in its entirety by the senate, being part of the assemblies meant to approve motions against the magistrates,vote for the elections of the tribunes and vote in the provocatio ad populum, that was the right to appeal by a Roman citizen. Another right that a Roman citizen had was the possibility to become leader of the state through several steps of the Cursus Honorum.Normally the future consul began his career as adiles or as a quaestor.The Jus Commerci was another prerogative of the Roman citizen. This right allowed the Romans to own property, to legally sign contracts and to own slaves.When a citizen got in trouble with the law and deserved to be sentenced to death, his citizenship allowed him to be put to death in a way that was not the same as slaves were put to death. In fact,if slaves and foreigners committed crimes, they were whipped and then crucified. A notable example of this is the crucifixion of saint Peter's during Nero's reign. Saint Peter's had come to Rome as a Jew to preach Christianity and was found responsible of the fire of 64 AD.Saint Paul, however,although he was an Ellenized Jew, he was a Roman citizen too, and when he was accused of venerating only one god rather than the 12 Olympians, he was sentenced to death. He was beheaded and not crucified, because Romans, contrary to our modern legal system, distinguished between Romans and non Romans when it was the moment to execute somebody.