Unit 14: Slaves and Freed People
Contents and layout ©1999 Joseph J. Hughes, Ph.D.
Revised 09 November 2000
peculium Trimalchio
manumission Horace
Spartacus Juvenal
I. Slaves
A. growth of slavery in Rome
1. time-frame
a. mos maiorum and slavery
1). not much slavery in early Republican Rome
2). small farms; not much labor required
b. slavery and "Conflict o' the Orders"
1). presupposes small farmers and free labor
2). indicates slaves not so numerous
3). slaves not important part of the economy
c. influx of slaves after conquest of Mediterranean
1). usual sources become very fruitful
2). begins to impact economy (= latifundia )
d. slaves helped squeeze out the small farmer class
1). not as unruly as free laborers because they're property
2). cannot organize as a class the way poor folks could
e. freedmen and freedwomen eventually became somewhat of a class
1). more a development of the principate
2). talk about this later
f. who's better off: fortunate slave or vrban rabble?
2. sources of slaves
a. imported
1). prisoners or prizes of war
2). rebellious provincials
3). bought from pirates or kidnappers
4). some individuals sold themselves into slavery
b. homegrown
1). debtors
2). convicted on capital crimes
3). kids exposed or sold by parents
4). offspring of slaves
3. buying and selling of slaves
a. slave-dealers quite common
1). Island of Delos: 10,000 slaves sold daily
2). common figure in Roman comedy
b. slaves sold or rented
c. categories depended on place of origin
1). "civilized:" Greece, Ancient Egypt
2). "uncivilized:" Gaul, Germany
4. occupations of slaves
a. in the city
1). cleaning crews
2). factory help
3). gladiators or prostitutes
4). mobilized by owners as a mob
b. in the households of the rich
1). like modern servants
2). physical labor
3). skilled labor
c. on the farm
1). intense physical labor
2). by far the worst lot
3). could rise to overseer
5. runaways
a. runaways frequent
b. slaves forced to be identified
1). slave collars
2). brandings
6. treatment by masters
a. slaves of the wealthy often treated well
1). less taxing occupations
2). personal relationship with masters
b. peculium: small gift of money
1). could be managed by slaves themselves
2). intended as "motivation" for clever slaves
3). was actually the master's property, too
4). could be revoked at any time
c. farm slaves treated cruelly
1). human farm machines
2). little better than animals
d. Cato the Censor on slaves
1). work them as hard as possible
2). take care of them cheaply
3). sell them when useless
e. physical punishment quite frequent: slave's body is property
1). floggings
2). feeding to eels
3). sexual abuse
6. revolts of slaves
a. Sicily 136-132 BC: 70,000 slaves
b. Sicily 104-100 BC
c. Asia Minor 133-129 BC
d. Naples 73-71 BC
1). leader: Spartacus (movie somewhat of a misnomer)
2). 6000 slaves crucified
B. theory of slavery
1. Roman authors on slavery
a. Pliny the Younger
1). attached to some household slaves
2). set slaves free at death
3). allowed slaves to make wills
b. Seneca the younger
1). Stoic, humane attitude
2). did not preach abolition
3). saw some human characteristics in slaves
2. humanitarian laws prevail later in Empire
a. Claudius forbids selling of sick slaves
b. Hadrian forbids masters to kill slaves
c. Theodosius forbids breaking up of families
3. cruelty of laws during Republic
a. slaves totally at mercy of masters
b. tortured to tell truth at trials
c. killed as warnings to other slaves
4. number of slaves (controversial estimate)
a. P. A. Brvnt
1). AD 0: 7,500,000 people in Italy
2). 3,000,000 slaves
b. R. MacMvllen
1). 25% slaves in Italy
2). 10% slaves in Provinces
5. Interesting paradox
a. Better to be a free person with squat
1). Roman birth and citizenship
2). miserable everything else
b. Better to be a well-treated slave
1). chance of manumission
2). OK owner, etc.
c. Best of all to be rich, probably
II. Freedmen (In Empire because we have better sources)
A. rehash of citizenship
1. nominal equality
a. supposedly equal after Conflict of Orders
1). the laws say everyone is equal
2). Yeah, and I could get elected president
b. double standard in existence
1). haves vs. have-nots
2). recognized by laws before--and after--Conflict o the orders
2. the orders
a. early Republic
1). patricians: actual movers and shakers
2). plebeians: the vulgar masses
b. late Republic
1). nobiles: the mos maiorum gives way to constructive change
2). senators
3). equites
4). the rest
3. rights of Roman citizenship
a. Roman justice
b. right to marry a Roman
c. right to do business in Rome
d. right to vote
4. obligations of Roman citizenship
a. serve in the army
b. pay tax
B. manumission
1. methods
a. slave and master appear before a magistrate
b. master frees slaves in his will
c. slaves could buy freedom
1). saved up from -peculium-
2). bought out by family members or friends
3). sometimes in possession of bribes
2. reasons
a. simple kindness
1). humanitarian reasons
2). gratitude
b. desire to appear kindly
c. desire to appear wealthy
d. incentive to other slaves to work hard
e. way of finding a wife
3. effects
a. freedman became client of ex-master
1). Sulla's 10,000 "Cornelii"
2). Claudius's influential freedmen
b. relation not changed very much
1). are all clients of their former masters
2). rely on former masters for connections and capital
c. Romans received new blood
1). usually the most talented group of the lot moved the highest
2). people from all parts of the imperium
d. individual freedmen often become more influential than free poor
1). as a class they joined the urban working poor
2). or the unemployed poor
e. Still drew scorn and wrath of "real" SPQRomans
C. freedmen in Roman society
1. rights of freedmen: "automatic road from slave to free"
a. allowed to vote
1). not much of an honor in the Principate
2). more of a status symbol
b. denied other rights
1). could not hold office
2). could not join Senatorial or Equestrian orders
3). could hold certain "priesthoods" (Augustales )
2. rights of freedmen's sons
a. held complete Roman citizenship
b. could hold political office, etc.
3. prejudice against freedmen
a. freeborn Romans resented their social mobility
1). free poor
2). free rich
b. thought they took Roman jobs
c. fears for the -mos- -maiorum-
C. lifestyles of freedmen
1. most never attained much social mobility
a. worked for their old masters
1). moral ties to master (as patron ) remain
2). no support necessary form master
b. enjoyed similar status to average free man
1). Bubbacus or Jethra
2). some rose past it
3). MacMvllen says the free poor had it worse
c. some became teachers
2. Pallas, freedman of Claudius
a. ran the finances for Clavdivs
b. wore the insignia of a praetor
3. Trimalchio
a. creation of Petronius in his famous Satyricon
1). time of the artist-emperor Nero
2). time when freedmen had achieved prominence
3). atypical; more of a satire
b. spectacular rise to wealth
1). did a few favors for his master
2). did a few favors for his mistress
3). inherited the whole shooting match
c. quite the entrepreneur
1). first shipping ventures fail
2). ship eventually comes in
3). keeps getting richer and richer
d. violates the MOS MAIORVM
1). ex-slaves aren't supposed to get rich
2). very, very VVLGAR
3). Petronius makes fun of him
4). actually no worse than Cato the Elder
4. Juvenal on the Greeks
a. good source on Roman attitude towards Greeks
b. harps on the mos maiorum
5. freedmen's aspirations
a. primarily centered on sons
1). education (Horace)
2). service in military
b. buying of respectability
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