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    Sofo Final

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    The document discusses slavery in ancient Rome. It notes that mass slavery emerged as a result of Rome's conquests, with prisoners of war making up many slaves. By the eve of the Second Punic War, an estimated 600,000 of Rome's 5 million population were slaves. Slaves attempted revolts and rebellions against their oppression, such as the First and Second Slave Wars in Sicily and Greece. While slaves had some limited rights under Roman law, they were still viewed primarily as property and denied basic dignity and respect.

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    Sofo Final

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    theartsylensp
    20 views2 pages
    The document discusses slavery in ancient Rome. It notes that mass slavery emerged as a result of Rome's conquests, with prisoners of war making up many slaves. By the eve of the Second Punic War, an estimated 600,000 of Rome's 5 million population were slaves. Slaves attempted revolts and rebellions against their oppression, such as the First and Second Slave Wars in Sicily and Greece. While slaves had some limited rights under Roman law, they were still viewed primarily as property and denied basic dignity and respect.

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    history social formations in europe notes

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    SOFO FINAL

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    The document discusses slavery in ancient Rome. It notes that mass slavery emerged as a result of Rome's conquests, with prisoners of war making up many slaves. By the eve of the Second Punic War, an estimated 600,000 of Rome's 5 million population were slaves. Slaves attempted revolts and rebellions against their oppression, such as the First and Second Slave Wars in Sicily and Greece. While slaves had some limited rights under Roman law, they were still viewed primarily as property and denied basic dignity and respect.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    20 views2 pages

    Sofo Final

    Uploaded by

    theartsylensp
    The document discusses slavery in ancient Rome. It notes that mass slavery emerged as a result of Rome's conquests, with prisoners of war making up many slaves. By the eve of the Second Punic War, an estimated 600,000 of Rome's 5 million population were slaves. Slaves attempted revolts and rebellions against their oppression, such as the First and Second Slave Wars in Sicily and Greece. While slaves had some limited rights under Roman law, they were still viewed primarily as property and denied basic dignity and respect.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 2

    ROMAN SLAVERY

    The emergence of Rome paves way not just imperial expansion but also other developments
    including the rise of towns, trade and growth in the agrarian production. It was during this time that
    the concept of slavery emerged. Mass slavery in the empire was a result of the conquests made by
    the rulers. The group comprised mainly of war prisoners( Punic Wars). Brunt drew attention to the
    high number of slaves on the eve of the 2nd Punic War Out of the estimated population of 5 million
    about 600,000 were slaves. In addition to this the ‘The Third Punic war’ was simultaneous with
    those in Greece, Syria and Macedonia which gave a boost to slave trade .Alternatively, slave markets
    also existed through which they were brought by those who had requirements.

    CENTRAL ARGUMENT

    The slaves were held in captive in the Roman Empire. They possessed immense power to prevent
    the slaves from escaping. However, the persistent use of force to subdue them was not a practical
    and cost effective method for the long run.
    The class of slaves were deprived of dignity and respect. The Romans imbibed certain actions and
    ways of treatment of the slaves. Free people were not supposed to show any signs of respect or
    sympathy towards them.

    A group captured from the same area or those sharing a common religion, culture or identity were
    separated from each other. This was done to ensure no unity and solidarity existed among them.
    The slaves were also deprived of their identity. The only individuality or uniqueness that they
    possessed was the one given to them their masters.

    Attempts by Slaves

    Even in these dire situations organisations made several attempts towards freedom. Constant
    individual efforts were seen in regions that were relatively unsettled. Apart from these there were
    also organised rebellions and revolts that took place.
    The ‘First Slave War’ took place in Sicily. The conditions where the slaves on the latifundia of this
    large island worked were deplorable. The Syrian and Anatolian prisoners of war were held captive in
    this region. In 136 BC a slave named ‘Eunus’ killed his owner and led a struggle against the
    oppression they faced. He used their sentiments as a force to lead and mobilise them. This struggle
    was silenced in 132 BC.
    Another struggle was seen in 104 BC in the form of the ‘Second Slave War’ . This was led by Salvius
    and Tryphon. Ample amount of slaves from Athens and mainland Greece played a major part in
    gathering people to support them. They fought for their rights till 102 BC, when the union was
    defeated.

    SUBSIDIARY ARGUMENTS

    In the opinion of Keith Hopkins, the processes that affected the growth of slavery were-

     Constant wars
     The influx of war booty
     The investment in land
     The growth of large estates
     The impoverishment of peasants
     The emigration of peasants to towns and provinces
     Development of urban market
    The slaves were given certain rights, which to some extent depended on their masters. They were
    allowed to own property (Peculium). While they were allowed to posses land the actual ownership
    lay with their masters.

    The slaves were also paid in monetary terms for the services they provided. This could be used by a
    slave-

     To employ another slave for themselves


     Use the obtained money to gain freedom from slavery. In some instances, if they could pay
    the replacement to their masters the slave would be free.

    Buckland states that in spite of these rights their status on society was at the lowest tier. They were
    perceived as ‘human res’. This refers to them being viewed as a possession or an object.

    According to K. Bradley, “freedom...was not a general right but a select privilege”. (Potter, 627). The
    notions of slavery were so deeply embedded in the Roman Society that it was not perceived as a
    system of inequality or a form of control.

    William Blair in his “ An Inquiry into the State of Slavery Amongst the Romans” states that initially
    the slaves fulfilled only the duties of a domestic servants. However, as slavery progressed, they were
    seen in all realms and working beyond the duties they had earlier. Slaves became a necessity for a
    lot of people in the Roman Empire. They were used as agricultural labours, public workers and the
    ones who would take up the jobs that were believed to be ‘menial’.

    ANALYSIS

    Even though the notion of slavery was much more prevalent in Rome, as compared to Greece it
    continued to be a privilege which was more often than not enjoyed by the wealthier classes. On one
    hand the system of Roman society was based on slave labour and on the other hand provision of
    services to another section of society. They were meant to serve their owners but yet did not receive
    any dignity in society.

    The notion and concept of slavery did not completely disappear from the society in the Roman
    Empire. However, with passing time its meaning and position changed. This was seen at the
    beginning of the time period that is known as ‘The Late Antiquity’ ( 14 CE- 500 CE).

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