Abstract
This thesis explores how to conceptualize and analyze the racial system of Ancient Roman society. Evaluating the broad range of scholarly theory on the topic and using ethnographic accounts from Roman authors writing in Latin between 88 BCE and 117 CE, I conclude that 1) racial distinction was a factor in Roman ideology that was heavily influenced by imperial expansion, and 2) the Roman system of racialization was subject to its own ideology and Latin terminology, which cannot and should not be interpreted according to modern ideological constructs of race.