The common people of ancient Rome, including the poor and landless. In the early republic they were excluded from office and from intermarriage with patricians. The political history of the early republic reflects largely their increasingly organized claim for greater political participation, which was rewarded by the concession of eligibility for the consulship in 367 bc. During the ‘Struggle of the Orders’ in the 5th and 4th centuries bc the office of tribune became a watchdog over the activities of the traditional Roman Senate.