Roman Slavery Powerpoint

1. Latin for Americans: Unit 3
Jessica Compton

2. Standards
Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an
understanding of the perspectives of Greek or
Roman perspectives of Greek or Roman culture as
revealed in the practices of the Greeks or Romans.
Standard 3.2: Students expand their knowledge
through the reading of Latin or Greek and the study
of ancient culture.
Standard 4.5: Students compare and contrast their
own culture with that of the Greco-Roman world.

3. Understandings
Students will understand how Roman slavery
functioned in the Greco-Roman world.
Students will gain a better understanding of
what life what have been like for a Roman slave
or freedman.
Students will understand the basic Roman
social classes

4. Essential Questions
What was the Roman attitude towards slavery?
What was life like for a Roman slave or
freedman?
How was Roman slavery similar/dissimilar to
the slavery that existed in the US?
What were the Roman social classes?

5. Puerī Rōmānī pg. 94

6. Latin for Americans Unit 3:
Slavery

7. Roman Slavery
Slavery began to be an important factor in Roman
life in the period from 350 to 272 BCE when Rome
began to expand into central and southern Italy.
The period of the first two Punic Wars, 262-201
BCE, marked a great increase in the number of slaves
taken from the areas of the western part of the
Mediterranean. After that, an increasing number of
slaves come from the eastern Mediterranean.

8. Roman Slavery
Some Numbers:
262 BCE- 20,000 inhabitants of Sicilian city of
Agrigentum enslaved
205- 201BCE- 20,700 prisoners of war taken by
Scipio Africanus in Africa
167 BCE- 150,000 men taken from 70 towns in
Epirus enslaved

9. Who were slaves?
Most slaves were prisoners of war who were captured in
war.
New ones could also be obtained through natural
reproduction among the existing slave population, the
exposure of infants, piracy, kidnapping by robbers, the
sale of one’s children or of oneself, and long-distance
trade with communities beyond the frontiers.
Unlike slavery in the Americas, Roman slavery was not
racially based.

10. Who were slaves?
Slaves were bought and sold at a
market.
A highly educated slave might cost
as much as 120,000 dollars at
today’s prices. A trained farm
worker slightly more than 10,000
dollars. A common laborer would
cost even less.
Desired attributes included beauty,
strength, education, and special
skills.
The contract usually stipulated a no
return policy, except for epilepsy.

11. What would slaves do?
Slaves did much of the work on the farm and in the
trades in in the growing numbers of businesses.
Slaves worked as unskilled laborers, mechanics,
artisans, carpenters, bricklayers, seamen, and assistants
to merchants and shopkeepers.

12. What would slaves do?
Many slaves from Greece and the
Near East were more knowledgeable
than their masters because of their
backgrounds and early education.
They became the teachers, doctors,
musicians, actors, and bookkeepers in
Roman society.
Although educated and skilled slaves
were given much personal freedom,
they were still the master’s property
and could be bought and sold at will.

13. What would slaves do?
Wealthy Romans kept large numbers of slaves,
many of whom had specialized tasks in the
household (familia urbāna).
One slave might be in charge of polishing the
silver; another, of writing letter; and another,
of announcing the guests or the hour of the
day.
Great landholders sometimes had hundreds of
slaves on their estates where they tended the
herds and did the work of growing grapes,

14. What was life like for slaves?
The lives that slaves led
differed greatly depending on
who owned them and what
kind of work they did.
Some owners felt affection for
their slaves and treated them
humanely. Perhaps they also
thought it was a good idea to
take care of their investment.

15. What was life like for slaves?
Other owners abused their slaves by beating
them, torturing them, and even killing them. The
master had the legal right to kill a slave, but
naturally was rarely inclined to do so, because he
would be destroying his own property.
Whipping was a common punishment for minor
offenses.
Other more feared punishments were to send a
slave to the mines or bakeries where the work was
much harder.

16. Apuleius’ Golden Ass 9,12
The whole surface of their skin was painted
with livid welts. Their stripped backs were
merely shadowed, not covered, by the tattered
patchwork they wore: some had thrown on a
tiny cloth that just covered their loins, but all
were clad in such a way that you discern them
clearly through their rags. Their foreheads
were branded, their heads half shaved and
their feet chained. They were hideously sallow
too, and their eyelids were eaten away by the
smoky darkness of scorching murk until they
were quite weak sighted; like boxers who fight
sprinkled with dust, they were dirty
whitewashed with flowery ash.

17. Could slaves runaway?
Runaway slaves were branded
on the forehead with the
letter F, for fugitīvus, when
they were caught.
Sometimes a runaway slaves
wore a metal collar around
the neck on which was
inscribed the name of his
owner.

18. Could slaves be freed?
There never was an attempt to abolish slavery in Rome.
Even former slaves did nothing to eliminate slavery and
were themselves sometimes slave- owners.
But it is known that Rome was unique among slaveowning societies in that slaves were regularly manumitted.
If this was done following certain formalities, the exslave became a Roman citizen. Although some public
offices were closed to them, a freedman or freedwoman’s
child had, at least in theory, the same opportunities as
other free-born citizens.

19. Could slaves be freed?
Most slaves were given allowances, and the thrifty slave could hope
to save enough over the course of several years to buy their own
freedom.
Masters often granted freedom or released their slaves out of
gratitude for services rendered.
Others freed their slaves in their wills and left them sums of money
to begin new lives.

20. Roman Social Classes
Patricians
Plebeians
Slaves and Freedmen

21. Who were the Patricians?
The patricians were at the top of
Roman society.
The word “patrician” comes from the
Latin patrēs (fathers), and these
families provided the empire’s
political, religious, and military
leadership.
Most patricians were wealthy
landowners from old families, but the
class was open to a chosen few who
had been deliberately promoted by
the emperor.

22. Who were the plebeians?
They were Rome’s working class, who had little
individual power. But although individual plebeians
had little power, there were a lot of them. In bad times,
or during political unrest, there was always the risk of
the Roman ‘mob’ rioting or rebelling against the upper
classes.
Plebeians were average working citizens of Rome –
farmers, bakers, builders or craftsmen – who worked
hard to support their families and pay their taxes.

23. Urban Life Video
http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/resources/video.
html

24. Does slavery still exist today?

25. Servī pg. 99

26. Letter of Seneca
I am glad to learn, through those who come from you, that you live on
friendly terms with your slaves. This befits a sensible and well-educated
man like yourself. "They are slaves," people declare." Nay, rather they are
men. "Slaves!" No, comrades. " Slaves!" No, they are unpretentious friends.
"Slaves!" No, they are our fellow-slaves, if one reflects that Fortune has
equal rights over slaves and free men alike.
That is why I smile at those who think it degrading for a man to dine
with his slave. But why should they think it degrading? It is only because
purse-proud etiquette surrounds a householder at his dinner with a mob
of standing slaves. The master eats more than he can hold, and with
monstrous greed loads his belly until it is stretched and at length ceases to
do the work of a belly; so that he is at greater pains to discharge all the
food than he was to stuff it down. All this time the poor slaves may not
move their lips, even to speak. The slightest murmur is repressed by the
rod; even a chance sound, - a cough, a sneeze, or a hiccup, - is visited with
the lash. There is a grievous penalty for the slightest breach of silence. All
night long they must stand about, hungry and dumb.

27. Letter of Seneca
The result of it all is that these slaves, who may not talk
in their master's presence, talk about their master. But the
slaves of former days, who were permitted to converse not only
in their master's presence, but actually with him, whose mouths
were not stitched up tight, were ready to bare their necks for
their master, to bring upon their own heads any danger that
threatened him; they spoke at the feast, but kept silence during
torture. Finally, the saying, in allusion to this same highhanded
treatment, becomes current: "As many enemies as you have
slaves." They are not enemies when we acquire them; we make
them enemies.

28. Paired Activity
Each pair will be assigned a short text about
Roman slavery to briefly discuss then share with
the class to create a discussion about Roman
slavery.

31. Homework:
Using all that we have learned about Roman slavery, write
a short 1-2 paragraph diary entry or letter imaging yourself
as a Roman slave or freedman. You must include what
your job is and 2 facts about Roman slavery in your
response. These will be shared next class.
For example, you could be a Roman slave that works as a
cook, who was captured in war and hopes to buy their
freedom one day.

32. Test
The unit will conclude with 5 true or false questions.