Power and privilege in Roman society Part I. Social Status and Senatorial Success 1. Introduction: The senator 2. Social standing and its impact on careers 3. The career ladder at Rome 4. Service overseas 5. Defenders of the empire 6. Influx from the provinces 7. The chronology of the senatorial evidence 8. Career inscriptions and what they leave out Part II. Equestrian Perspectives 9. Defining the equites 10. The public employment of equites 11. The economic involvements of equites 12. The devaluation of equestrian rank Part III. The Unprivileged 13. Slavery : the background 14. Slavery as a career Appendix 1: Scoring systems for senators Appendix 2: Non vigintiviri and additional senators Appendix 3: The duration of army posts Appendix 4: Details of vigintiviri Appendix 5: Some senatorial careers Appendix 6: Early and late priesthoods Appendix 7: Inventory of senators in the database How far were appointments in the Roman Empire based on merit Did experience matter What difference did social rank make This innovative study of the Principate examines the career outcomes of senators and knights by social category. Contrasting patterns emerge from a new database of senatorial careers. Although the highest appointments could reflect experience a clear preference for the more aristocratic senators is also seen. Bias is visible even in the major army commands and in the most senior civilian posts nominally filled by ballot. In equestrian appointments successes by the less experienced again suggest the power of social advantage. Senatorial recruitment gradually opened up to include many provincials but Italians still kept their hold on the higher social groupings. The book also considers the senatorial career more widely while a final section examines slave careers and the phenomenon of voluntary slavery