Roman Class Distinctions. The Romans never shied away from grouping themselves—and others—into social classes. While the origins and motivations for the oldest classes remain obscure, historical sources reveal how the classes shifted, disappeared, and were invented over the centuries. The change and growth of Rome brought about many realignments of classes. The conservatism of the Romans and the Roman elite, by contrast, tended to retard changes among the social classes and retain class designations well after they had much purpose. Class distinctions tended to be functional, practical, and measure social worth rather than derive from beliefs about race, biology, or philosophy. Ultimately, since class distinctions affected the quality of life, respect, and power of the individuals belonging to a particular class, members of the different classes would come into conflict with other classes. The Romans...