Roman SlaveryBy: Maddie, Bella, Kaitlyn, Catherine

Slavery: The Case of the Roman EmpireSlavery has deep roots in human history perhaps modeled after the

domestication of animals

Slave owners compared their slaves to tamed animals

Aristotle said that the ox was “the poor man’s slave”

War, patriarchy, and the notion of private property allowed slavery to spread

Warfare produced prisoners and in the ancient world, capture meant enslavement

Women were the first slaves and were taken as concubines while men were killed if captured

Patriarchal societies may have suggested using men as slaves as well

Class inequalities were based on major differences in private property

Slavery and Civilization● Slavery: working without pay, being referred to as property,

owned by a master, and being at the lowest social status. ● Slavery was known as a tradition, used by all of the First

Civilizations in all the various regions.● Slave systems and the jobs slaves were forced to do, was

different among each region and civilization.○ Greece and Rome often had slaves that were emancipated by

their masters' choice.○ The Aztec empire thought of their slaves as free people ○ In other regions, slaves inherited the social statuses of their

parents.○ Jobs varied from working out on the fields to working inside the

owner's home.● Slavery also varied in the second-wave civilizations when it

came to social statuses and the frequency that slavery was used.

Slavery and Civilization Cont.Slavery didn't really take place in China and only took up about

1% of the population. The slaves that took up this 1% were normally criminals who were

taken by the government and sold into slavery.Other times it was poor families who had to sell their children into

slavery or who had their children taken away.This was a similar aspect in India except slaves had some

protection.Slaves were taken good care of by their owners and provided

sufficiently.Slaves were capable of buying and owning property.If slaves were to be raped by their owner they were set free and

paid money.Slaves were very often freed by their owners and also were able

to buy their freedom.

The Making of Roman SlaverySlavery played an IMMENSE role in the Mediterranean

(Western) world.

China, Persia, and India all had slavery, but society in Rome absolutely depended on it.

There were 2-3 million slaves in the Roman empire by the time of Christ.

Wealthy people could own up to thousands of slaves.

The amount of slaves someone owned, showed their social status.

even religious and modest people owned slaves

even former slaves owned slaves

Basically, if you didn’t own any slaves, you were a slave.

The Making of Roman Slavery cont. The majority of slaves were war prisoners.

in 146 B.C.E. 55,000 people were enslaved as a result of the Roman defeat of Carthage.

Abandoned children could become slaves to anyone who rescued them.

Romans-just like every other slave area in history- thought of slaves as “barbaric”

this lead to Romans as thinking of just general people as “slaves” by nature (Asiatic Greeks, Syrians, and Jews).

Slavery was also, surprisingly, embedded into religion.Christianity didn’t undermine slavery.

St. Augustine preached that slavery was a form of God’s punishment for sin.

Resistance and RebellionRoman slaves responded to their enslavement in many

Most had to do the necessary things to survive

Others committed mass suicide as to avoid slavery

Some resorted to “Weapons of the Weak”

-Theft

-Sabotage -Placing curses on their masters

-Faking Illness

-Working Poorly

Resistance and RebellionThere were several notable slave rebellions

The most famous one occurred in 73 B.C.E

A slave gladiator named Spartacus led seventy other slaves from a gladiator school

Their success led to about 120,000 other slaves joining them

For two years, they changed the roles, and did things such as crucifying the captured slave owners

Eventually, the Roman legions still defeated them

The rebel slaves wanted to escape slavery, but they never had a plan to end it

Checking Your Understanding: Quiz1.What three aspects of Roman society allowed slavery to spread?

2.True or False? Religious people and former slaves owned slaves in Rome.

3.Name three “Weapons of the Weak”.

4.Who led a slave rebellion in 73 B.C.E?

5.True or False? The slave rebellion ended Roman slavery.

6.What groups of people did the Romans think of as slaves by nature?

7.True or False? Slavery was the same among each First Civilization and region.

8.Define Slavery.

9.In what ways was slavery embedded in religion?

10.How many slaves were in the Roman Empire at the time of Christ?

Answers1. War, Patriarchy, and the Notion of Private Property

2. True

3. Theft, sabotage, faking illness, working poorly, placing curses on their master

4. Spartacus

5. False

6. Asiatic Greeks, Syrians, and Jews

7. False

8. working without pay, being referred to as property, owned by a master, and being at the lowest social status.

9. Christianity didn’t undermine slavery and St. Augustine preached that it was God’s punishment for sin.

10.2-3 Million

BibliographyRomanslaves4.jpg. Digital image. Slavery in Ancient Rome. Crystalinks, 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Chen, Allison. Roman Slavery. Digital image. Citelighter. Citelighter, 2011. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.