The Structures of Roman Slavery

EXPERIENCING THE ROMAN EMPIRE HIST 1301 | History The Structures of Roman Slavery In the Roman civilization, enslavement resulted from a multitude of causes; the system was not maintained by a single mechanism. The majority of those held in slavery throughout the Roman Republic seem to have been former combatants taken prisoner. These captured soldiers were bought by slave dealers from vanquished armies and transported to other slave markets around the empire to be sold to purchasers in need of slave labour. But after Augustus's civil conflicts, there were fewer prisoners of war, and the institution became more dependent on outside funding. Some historians think that a significant portion of the new slave population resulted from natural reproduction, with offspring of enslaved women being regarded as the mother's property. Kidnapping and piracy are other possible causes of enslavement. Through patria potestas, some enslaved individuals were bought into bondage. Some were left in the hands of slave dealers after being abandoned as young children by families unable or unable to raise a kid. Ultimately, even though forced labour had been forbidden since the early Roman Republic, individuals might sell themselves into slavery in order to settle debts. A key component of the system were the slave markets, which were frequently maintained by piracy. The biggest of these took place at Delos, the centre of activity in the second and early first centuries BCE, where up to 10,000 slaves might be sold in a single day. Manumission, or the release of enslaved individuals, was a common procedure in Rome, though it's hard to estimate how often it happened. It wasn't only for excellent behaviour; it generally occurred when a person was about eighteen. A portion of the enslaved people's wages might be kept by them in order to buy their freedom. Moreover, enslaved women may be released from slavery after bearing a particular number of children. A slaveholder's will or a Roman magistrate presided over the official manumission of slaves. In order to ensure that the just liberated could start their lives as emancipated people, it was frequently accompanied with a certain amount of money. But since a released individual became the previous master's customer, the debt of responsibility was evident. In Rome, freed individuals made up a sizable class, although they were subject to a good deal of behavioural constraints. They were frequently unable to occupy the majority of significant political or religious offices due to the influence of their previous lord. In fact, a large number of them went on to become prosperous independent professionals in commerce, agriculture, and education; some of them even owned slaves. A handful held notable roles in influential houses. Even though their children were regarded as complete citizens, they were not granted the full privileges of Roman citizenship. People who were enslaved endured cruel treatment, and their attempts to obtain freedom are demonstrated by a number of uprisings. Upheavals in Sicily sparked uprisings around the Mediterranean in the latter half of the second century BCE, most notably in the Greek mines. A few decades later, the most wellknown slave uprising was started by Spartacus. Spartacus, who was born in Thrace or Greece, was taken prisoner in a war and trained as a gladiator at Capua, central Italy. He and a large group of other enslaved individuals made plans to escape around 73 BCE. They may have merely intended to flee, but they eventually picked up guns and battled for their freedom. Ultimately, Spartacus amassed an army of about 70,000 soldiers and vanquished several legions dispatched by the Roman Senate. Finally, in 71 BCE, the uprising came to an end when the Roman commander Crassus defeated Spartacus in combat. But Spartacus's uprising was the decisive moment. Rome appears to have made an attempt to put an end to uprisings after these bloody battles, as seen by the Augustan laws that regulated the manumission process.