SLAVERY IN THE ROMAN WORLD

SLAVERYIN THE ROMAN

WORLD

In the ancient world, having slaves was viewed as both a necessary andnormal part of life

Unlike American slavery, Romanslavery was not based on racialprejudice.

In Roman times, one became aslave as result of

• being taken prisoner in war• being captured by pirates• being born into slavery

If a Roman citizen could not payoff his debt, he could sell himselfinto slavery, provided that

• he did not sell himself in the citywhere he lived

• once he paid off his debt, he hadto be freed

Slaves made up 30-40% of theItalian population. Caecilius wouldhave around a dozen slaves, whilevery wealthy citizens could have hundreds, even thousands.

Though slaves were consideredproperty and had very few rights,they were usually considered partof the familia.

Slaves worked in all areas ofboth public and private life.

Because of this, slaves were free to move around the city withoutrestriction.

Foreign visitors were shocked to see little visible difference in the dress and treatment betweenslaves and a free citizen.

Because slaves were bought and sold, they were viewed as property.

Most slaves, however, were not mistreated, because they were seen as investments who might be sold later.

FINIS