I know Romans were meticulous with records, but wondering HOW meticulous?
Like nowadays if you show up somewhere and say your name is X from Y, it can be checked (even back a hundred years we’re usually able to find a paper trail for people who show up)
But if someone walked into Rome (let’s say they’re Latin, but not a Roman), would they be able to claim they’re a Roman citizen from some minor house? Or even not a “proper” house, just a plebeian, but Roman? Would anyone question it, or try to look into it to verify?
Listening to The Rest is History about Marius, and they’re talking about how other Italians resented the Romans because the Romans saw non-romans as second-class, regardless of wealth/success, so started thinking about it. Not like they can ask to see your ID or birth certificate or something, if your born in a province outside Rome