Dionysius found it remarkable that when Romans manumitted their slaves, they gave them Roman citizenship as well. In contrast to Greek city-states, Rome was an ethnically diverse population and incorporated former slaves as citizens. The Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus (1st century AD) asserts that this right dated back to the legendary time of Romulus. The paterfamilias held the power of life and death (vitae necisque potestas) over the dependents of his household, including his sons and daughters as well as slaves. The word for "master" was dominus as the one who controlled the domain of the domus (household) dominium was the word for his control over the slaves. According to Seneca, the early Romans coined paterfamilias as a euphemism for the relationship of a master to his slaves. Īll those belonging to the familia were subject to the paterfamilias, the "father" or head of household and more precisely the estate owner. Pliny (1st century AD) was nostalgic for a time when "the ancients" lived more intimately in a household with no need for "legions of slaves"-but still imagined this simpler domestic life as supported by the possession of a slave. See also: Slavery in antiquity and Slavery in ancient Greeceįrom Rome's earliest historical period, domestic slaves were part of a familia, the body of a household's dependents-a word especially, or sometimes limited to, referring to the slaves collectively. Escaped slaves would be hunted down and returned (often for a reward). To maintain an enslaved workforce, increased legal restrictions on freeing slaves were put into place. During the Pax Romana of the early Roman Empire (1st–2nd centuries AD), the emphasis was placed on maintaining stability, and the lack of new territorial conquests dried up this supply line of human trafficking. The use of former enemy soldiers as slaves led perhaps inevitably to a series of en masse armed rebellions, the Servile Wars, the last of which was led by Spartacus. One major source of slaves had been Roman military expansion during the Republic. Over time, however, slaves gained increased legal protection, including the right to file complaints against their masters. Unlike Roman citizens, they could legally be subjected to corporal punishment, sexual exploitation ( prostitutes were often slaves), torture and summary execution. Slaves were considered property under Roman law and had no legal personhood. Unskilled slaves, or those sentenced to slavery as punishment, worked on farms, in mines, and at mills. Slaves of Greek origin in particular might be highly educated. Accountants and physicians were often slaves. Besides manual labour, slaves performed many domestic services and might be employed at highly skilled jobs and professions. Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the economy. Treatment of people as property in ancient Rome and its empire Roman mosaic from Dougga, Tunisia (2nd century AD): the two slaves carrying wine jars wear typical slave clothing and an amulet against the evil eye on a necklace the slave boy to the left carries water and towels, and the one on the right a bough and a basket of flowers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |