Slavery in Ancient Rome: Facts and Myths
The Roman economy was built on slavery for most of its existence. Yet, modern depictions of slavery in Roman society are colored by stereotypes and prejudices of our modern era. So, let’s discuss some of the facts and myths regarding slavery in Ancient Rome.
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Slavery in Ancient Rome: Facts and Myths
I guess the overwhelming majority of modern readers couldn’t imagine themselves as slaves. Moreover, I bet most of you think that you would have been a toga-wearing Roman citizen. Well, guess again!
Would You Have Been a Slave?
At the height of the Roman Empire, circa 25% of the population were slaves, while only 5-8% of males enjoyed citizenship. Lastly, no woman enjoyed full legal and political rights, regardless of wealth or ancestry.
Let’s translate this in practical terms.
5 out of 20 of my readers would have been slaves; there’s no other way to put this, sorry.
Another 13 out of 20 would have been free but enjoying few, if any, political and legal rights. In a way, being a free and poor non-citizen was worse than being the household slave of a well-to-do Roman—at least, your owners would have provided for you.
Less than 2 out of 20 male readers would have been citizens, and only a tiny fraction of these would have been wealthy enough to own slaves, a villa, and patronize fancy social events.
Simply put, if you aren’t a millionaire today, you wouldn’t have been one in Rome either. You would most likely be a no-hoper with zero rights and privileges, eeking out a hand-to-mouth existence at the whim of your betters.
As for me, a poor Dacian from a frontier province, the future was bleak. At best, I could have signed up as an auxiliary soldier, served for 25 years without dying, and earned myself citizenship and a plot of land.
However, given my flimsy constitution, I would most likely have lived a short and miserable life working the patch of land around my father’s mud-and-straws hut, never to have seen a toga, let alone wearing one.
Slavery Wasn’t Racially Biased
As opposed to the slave systems of the Americas and Caribbean, Roman society wasn’t racist in the modern sense of the word. In plain English, skin color didn’t play a role in determining who was a master and who was a slave.
A Roman could sell his children into slavery, become a slave due to unpaid debts, or sell himself into slavery. Although debt bondage and self-sales were outlawed in later times, they were nonetheless practiced.
A free man could be captured by pirates, for instance. Once sold by their captors, they became slaves from a legal perspective.
Prisoners of war were also sold into slavery. Today, one could be a proud warrior, while tomorrow, one could be cleaning the sewers of Rome.
Romans didn’t have penitentiaries. Jails were only temporary holding places until the offenders were sentenced. Afterward, the harshest penalties were being sent to the quarries or mines. Thus, one became a slave by sentence, usually a life-long one, although the average life expectancy was measured in months, not years.
Children born to slave women were slaves themselves, irrespective of the father’s status.
Conversely, a slave freed by his Roman master would become a Roman citizen (i.e., freedman), and his children would enjoy the same rights as other citizens. By the time of the Empire, some of the wealthiest Romans had descended from freed slaves.
In conclusion, most slaves were white, while non-Caucasians (to use an American descriptor) could rise to the top.
Emperor Septimius Severus, the reigning Roman ruler in my books, was of African descent, Emperor Elagabalus was Syrian (and transgender, apparently), and Emperor Hadrian was Hispanic (and gay), to name just a few. Meanwhile, Russell Crow was a slave gladiator. The injustice!
Romans Associated Nations with Specific Tasks
While Romans weren’t racists by our use of the word, they were biased about one’s place of origin. They believed the climate and geography would shape people and make them more suitable for some tasks.
For instance, Bithynians from modern Turkey and Nubians (Sub-Saharan Africans) were thought of as being suitable as litter-bearers for some reason or another. Thus, it became fashionable to have Bithynian or Nubian slaves carry the wealthy around.
Moreover, Romans believed that Asian people (i.e., Middle Easterners) were more inclined to a life of slavery. For instance, Cappadocians and Phrygians were considered less troublesome.
Most Slaves Had a Miserable Existence
Many modern Roman-themed books present slavery as a relatively benign institution. The main characters usually have slave sidekicks and jolly servants, happy to serve their masters.
While I also try not to focus on the dark sides of Roman society in my books, I am sure being nothing more than a “talking tool” was as bad as it sounds. Yet, there were different levels of misery.
Educated Slaves
The highest in the slave pyramid were the educated slaves. Doctors, teachers, court philosophers—these guys had nothing to complain about.
On the contrary, their living standards placed them in the top 2-3% of Roman society. Think of a very expensive racehorse. It was more or less the same for a respected healer; he was someone’s valued property and was showered with the best life had to offer.
Government Slaves
Similarly well-positioned were the slaves employed to run the Empire. You heard me well! Some emperors, like Claudius, used slaves and freedmen to run the Imperial cabinet. And why not? They were trained since early childhood, were highly competent, and, most importantly, were loyal. If an ambitious Senator might have designs for the Imperial Purple, a freedman secretary of state, for instance, had a vested interest in his Emperor’s long and prosperous reign.
Household Slaves
Household slaves and servants lived a comparatively sheltered existence. They were cooking, cleaning, washing, and shopping—it sounds like my daily routine since our daughter was born. Provided the master or mistress weren’t particularly cruel or perverted, a servant’s life wasn’t so bad. On the contrary, they lived better than some Roman citizens.
Public Slaves
Then, there were the public slaves. They were employed to do public utility work, such as cleaning streets and sewers, constructing public buildings, or maintaining roads and aqueducts. However, some of the public slaves had highly valued positions as archivists, engineers, administrators, and so on.
Entertainers
Slaves employed in the entertainment business weren’t enjoying the good life, though—gladiators, charioteers, actor-singer-prostitutes, and the like led a life of uncertainty and abuse. Granted, a lucky few became superstars, but the vast majority lived in squalor and humiliation.
Heavy Physical Work
Lowest on the rung were the slaves involved in heavy physical work. Agriculture could be bad, but working in the mills, quarries, and mines was probably the worst. Few returned from these places.
Slavery in the Late Roman Empire and Beyond
In time, the slave-based economic system became less productive and viable. Also, the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, and attitudes toward slavery changed.
By the 3rd and 4th centuries, the proportion of slaves in the Roman Empire gradually decreased, with the precursors of feudal contracts replacing bondage. However, the practice of enslaving human beings hasn’t disappeared.
Slavery continued to exist after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, well into the heydays of Medieval times. Europeans might have become Christian, but it didn’t stop them from using non-Christian slaves (or even Christian ones in some cases).
Moreover, the discovery of the New World once more made slave-based agriculture (i.e., plantations) profitable.
The last country to officially outlaw slavery was Mauritania in 1981, the year of my birth.
Unfortunately, modern slavery still exists under our very noses.
The exploitation of women and children is a common practice by both criminal organizations and legitimate businesses outsourcing slave management to their suppliers in third-world countries.
As for human trafficking, it is a booming business by all estimates, showing that we are in no way better than our forefathers.
At least the Romans were honest about it and had laws offering some protection and a way out for those in bondage.
I love a happy ending!
