Answer:
The plebeians and patricians were classes of Roman society. At the beginning of the city the patricians were the wealthy upper class and the plebeians were the common people, mostly poor. As time passed the plebeians gained their status and were considered the nobility of ancient Rome along with the patricians. This was because the plebeian families could trace their ancestry to the founding of the city (as well as the patricians) and the newcomers to Rome could not.