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Plebs Romana: People, Power and Politics in Ancient Rome
'Jones has an eagle's high eye for the history of Rome' The Timestt
'Jones makes the classical world feel both beguiling and fresh' Sunday Times
You may think about the Roman Empire every day, but I bet you rarely think about the plebs. The plebs were the commoners, the general populace and lower social classes, and as such their feelings, thoughts and voices are seldom captured in the sources. Most books about Ancient Rome treat the plebs as irrelevant 'lowlifes', which is indeed how they were viewed by the patricians at the centre of the existing popular histories.
Plebs Romana is the first history of Ancient Rome to centre the class of people who made up the empire's majority. A 700-year story that begins with the founding of the Roman Republic, celebrated historian Peter Jones traces the rise of the plebs, from being a powerless group to a political match for the 'patrician' elite. Along the way we learn how they conducted the world's first general strike, became the driving force of Rome's rise to power, and that it was the increasing class conflict between the rich and the poor, rather than the rise of Christianity, that destroyed the world's most powerful and consequential empire.
'Jones makes the classical world feel both beguiling and fresh' Sunday Times
You may think about the Roman Empire every day, but I bet you rarely think about the plebs. The plebs were the commoners, the general populace and lower social classes, and as such their feelings, thoughts and voices are seldom captured in the sources. Most books about Ancient Rome treat the plebs as irrelevant 'lowlifes', which is indeed how they were viewed by the patricians at the centre of the existing popular histories.
Plebs Romana is the first history of Ancient Rome to centre the class of people who made up the empire's majority. A 700-year story that begins with the founding of the Roman Republic, celebrated historian Peter Jones traces the rise of the plebs, from being a powerless group to a political match for the 'patrician' elite. Along the way we learn how they conducted the world's first general strike, became the driving force of Rome's rise to power, and that it was the increasing class conflict between the rich and the poor, rather than the rise of Christianity, that destroyed the world's most powerful and consequential empire.
- GenresHistory
272 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2025
6 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Peter V. Jones
293 books39 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Peter Jones (sometimes credited as Peter V. Jones) is a former lecturer in Classics at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, a writer and journalist. Jones has regularly written on Classics for major newspapers, and was awarded the MBE in 1983. He is a Cambridge graduate.
Jones' popular work has been focused on introducing new generations to Ancient Rome and Greece, from newspaper columns to crossword collections, popular non-fiction, and charitable organisations devoted to helping keep Classics subjects in schools.
Peter Jones (sometimes credited as Peter V. Jones) is a former lecturer in Classics at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, a writer and journalist. Jones has regularly written on Classics for major newspapers, and was awarded the MBE in 1983. He is a Cambridge graduate.
Jones' popular work has been focused on introducing new generations to Ancient Rome and Greece, from newspaper columns to crossword collections, popular non-fiction, and charitable organisations devoted to helping keep Classics subjects in schools.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 3, 2026
A really fun, easy to read introduction into the role of plebs in the Roman Republic! I was obsessed with this topic at university, but never had the chance to go over early republic/kingdom stuff. This book went into it in detail!
I really enjoyed it. If you haven’t read much into the Roman Republic and don’t know much about social organisation in Rome, or just want something easily digestible, informative and fun to read, this book is perfect.
I really enjoyed it. If you haven’t read much into the Roman Republic and don’t know much about social organisation in Rome, or just want something easily digestible, informative and fun to read, this book is perfect.
Displaying 1 of 1 review