From a modern perspective, slavery is one of the most controversial institutions of the past.
Today people consider slavery to be inhuman and immoral, writes Novate.
For the ancient peoples, however, slavery was a part of everyday life, a fully recognized social institution that was integrated into the overall social structure. In our review, the little-known and most striking facts about slavery in ancient Rome.
1. Slave population
Slaves were a danger to ancient Roman society.
There was a very high proportion of slaves among the population of ancient Roman society. Some historians estimate that 90 percent of the free population living in Italy by the end of the first century BC had slave ancestors. The proportion of slaves was so significant that some Romans left written evidence of the danger of this situation.
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In the Senate, a proposal was put forward that slaves should be distinguished from free people by their clothes, but it was rejected because of the danger that "then the slaves will be able to count us" (Seneca, "On Mercy": 1.24).
2. Slave revolts
Syrian slave Eun.
There have been quite a few documented slave revolts in Roman history. A Syrian slave named Eunus was the leader of one of these uprisings in Sicily between 135-132 BC. It was believed that Eun presented himself as a prophet and claimed to have had a number of mystical visions. According to Diodorus Siculus [Library: 35.2], Eunus managed to convince his followers with a trick, during which he spewed sparks and flames from his mouth.
The Romans defeated Eunus's slave army and quelled the rebellion, but this example inspired another slave rebellion in Sicily in 104-103. BC. The most famous slave uprising in ancient Rome is the uprising led by Spartacus. The Roman army fought the army of Spartacus for two years (73-71 BC) before being able to suppress the revolt.
3. Life in shackles
Work in the mines.
The living conditions and expectations of slaves in ancient Rome were of the same type and closely related to their occupation. Slaves engaged in grueling work such as farming and mining in mines had no life prospects. Mining was known as the hardest work.
Pliny (Natural History 33.70) recounts the difficult conditions of this activity: “Long tunnels were carved into the mountains by torchlight. The miners worked in multiple shifts and did not see daylight for months. Landfalls were constant. This work was so dangerous that it was less risky to dive into the depths of the sea for pearls and purple clams. We have made the land much more dangerous than the ocean."
Domestic slaves, on the other hand, could expect more or less humane treatment, and in some cases, they had the opportunity to have their own money and any property. In the end, if a slave managed to accumulate enough funds, he could try to buy his own freedom and become a "freedman" - a social class that was considered something between slaves and free people.
4. Man as property
Poor Roman citizens owned only one or two slaves.
Slave ownership was a widespread practice among Roman citizens, regardless of their social status. Even the poorest Roman citizens could own a slave or two. In Roman Egypt, it is likely that each artisan had 2-3 slaves. Wealthy people could own many more slaves.
For example, Nero had 400 slaves who worked in his city residence. According to surviving records, a wealthy Roman named Gaius Caecilius Isidore had 4,166 slaves at the time of his death.
5. Demand for slaves
The demand for slaves in Rome was very high.
The demand for slaves in Rome was very high for a number of reasons. With one exception (government positions), slaves were employed in almost every industry. In the mines, agriculture and households, there was a consistently high demand for slaves.
In his treatise, known as Agriculture, Marc Terentius Varro recommends the use of civilian workers in the most dangerous places, because "unlike the death of free farmers, the death of slaves has negative financial consequences."
6. A person as an object for sale
Prisoners of war are slaves.
Slaves were acquired in four main ways: as war captives, as victims of pirate raids and robberies, as a result of trade or by selection. During different stages of Roman history, different methods were more relevant. For example, at the beginning of the expansion of the Roman Empire, a significant number of prisoners of war were turned into slaves. Pirates from Cilicia (present-day southern Turkey) were notable suppliers of slaves and the Romans often traded with them.
Cilician pirates used to bring their slaves to the island of Delos (Aegean Sea), which was considered the international center of the slave trade. According to surviving records, in just one day, at least 10,000 people were sold into slavery and sent to Italy.
7. An unshakable postulate
The slavery system seemed eternal.
Today people consider slavery immoral and inhumane. However, there is no evidence that this was even thought of in Roman society. All major economic, social and legal forces in ancient Rome worked together to keep the slavery system endless.
Slaves were considered a necessary social counterweight to free people. Civil liberty and slavery were two sides of the same coin. Even when more humane laws were introduced that improved the living conditions of the slaves, this did not in the least imply that the number of slaves should be reduced.
8. Runaway slaves
There were professional slave catchers.
Slaves fleeing their masters were a common problem among slave owners. The main way to deal with this was by hiring professional hunters, known as "fugitivarii," who hunt down, capture and return slaves to their owners. Naturally, this all happened for a fee.
Sometimes slave owners announced rewards for the return of the fugitives, while other times they tried to find the fugitives themselves. Another way to deal with escaped slaves was to put special collars on them with instructions on where to return the slave if he was caught.
9. Free for slaves
Former slaves could become Roman citizens.
In Roman society, the slave owner was able to grant freedom to his slave. This process, which was known as "free", could be achieved in various ways: the owner could give free as a reward for loyalty and impeccable service, the free could be bought by the slave from the owner, and sometimes it was more expedient to free the slave.
An example of this latter case were merchants who needed someone who could sign contracts and conduct various transactions on their behalf and had the legal right to do so. From a legal point of view, slaves had no right to represent their masters. In some cases, the slave was given freedom in exchange for the fact that he would provide some services to his former master. Former slaves even had the opportunity to become Roman citizens, and sometimes, they (ironically) became slave owners.
10. The most famous Roman slave
Appian Way.
Spartacus was a Roman slave of Thracian descent and arguably the most famous Roman slave of all time. He fled a gladiatorial training camp located in the city of Capua in 73 BC, taking about 78 other slaves with him. As a result, Spartacus attracted thousands of other slaves and impoverished Romans to his side, challenging the huge empire for two whole years. Sextus Julius Frontinus (Stratagems: 1.5.22) reported that Spartacus' army used corpses attached to poles dug into the ground.
At the same time, weapons were given to the corpses. From a distance, this gave the impression that the army was much larger and better organized than it actually was. The uprising was finally suppressed by the Roman general Crassus. After Spartacus' army was defeated, more than 6,000 slaves who took part in the uprising were crucified along the Appian Way between Rome and Capua.
