The term in Latin means "those counted by head" in the ancient Roman census.
[1][2] Initially capite censi was synonymous with proletarii, meaning those citizens whose property was too small to be rated for the census.
Later, though, the proletarii were distinguished from the capite censi as having "appreciable property" to the value of 11,000 asses or less.
In contrast, the capite censi are assumed to have not owned any property of significance.
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