What trem refers to a class of wealthy landowners in the early republican of roman society?

Answer 1

Most of the wealthy landowners were patricians. However, the term was not related to landownership. They were the aristocracy. They held a monopoly of offices of state and had exclusive access to the priesthoods which played an important role in the regulation of public life. They were large landowners by virtue of their wealth, but their status was defined by their position within the Roman state, the priesthoods and their claim of origin to the foundation of Rome, rather than land ownership as such. Although this group had been called aristocracy by Greek writers and modern historians, it was very different than the medieval aristocracy.