The wealthiest citizens of ancient Rome were "patricians"--meaning literally "fathers". These people were not only the wealthiest but had by far the most political sway of any other social group.
The word patricians means ''fathers'', and that is in the sense of ''fathers of the country''. The patricians were by far the wealthiest and most influential citizens of Ancient Rome. They had the biggest businesses running, were heavily involved into politics, had big local and even regional power in the country. Most of this people were people that were descending from rich and royal families and the wealth, business, and power were continued from father to son in the family. Also in this class were included some of the best military generals that managed to gain glory, wealth, and respect during their military careers.
