CLAS/HIST 4091/5091 The Roman Empire

Lecture 15. Low Life? Slaves and Freedmen

I. Slaves as Tools

-Fundamental Distinctions: Gaius 1.9 “all persons are either slave or free”:

-Varro Agriculture 1.17 instrumentum vocale (speaking tool)

II. Commonality of slavery across cultures:

A. Ancient/Medieval: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Celtic / Germanic, European Medieval, China, Muslim, Native American (North, South, Central), etc

Modern: Muslim, African, American South, Brazil, Caribbean, Korean, Chinese

Modern world: Abolitionist movement since late 18^th C... but 27,000,000 enslaved today

“Slave Society”: Old South 35% ≈ Roman Italy 30% (some say 20%)

B. Definition of a slave: Property? >> O. Patterson Slavery and Social Death: “Slavery is the permanent, violent domination of natally alienated and generally dishonored persons.”

III. Ways of Becoming a Slave

A. Capture: war, barbarians, bandits (Aug. Ep. 10*)

B. Birth: home-bred slave (verna) = most reliable

C. Foundlings (expositi): ancient wet-nurse contracts (e.g. LR 102)

D. Punishment for crime: esp. mines and games

E. Not self sale or sale of one’s own children: but resale common

IV. Uses for Slaves

A. Domestic Slaves: Attendants: doorman (janitor), bathman, footmen, warder, cupbearer, cook (coquus), hairdresser, etc

Sen. Ep. 47 (LR 50): “...Another who serves the wine must dress like a woman and wrestle with his advancing years...”

-High-level positions: accountants, teachers, doctors

-Advantages (education, chance of freedom, contact with master) and Disadvantages (contact with master!)

B. Agricultural Slaves: hard labor and little prospect of freedom, but relative freedom from master’s scrutiny / cruelty

C. Imperial and Public slaves: Pliny Ep. 10.31-32

D. Other: building, milling, mining etc

V. Resistance and Rebellion

A. Constant Fear: (Seneca Ep. 47: “As many enemies as you have slaves” (quot servi tot hostes)

Death of Pedanius Secundus (AD 61): (LR 50 = Tac. An. 14.42-45)

B. Passive Resistance: breaking of implements, slow labor >> flight (Philemon, collars, brands) >> suicide

C. Active Resistance: Larcius Macedo (LR 50)

D. Open Rebellion?: three major slave rebellions under the Republic (esp. Spartacus); none in Empire

VI. Alleviation / Amelioration

A. Imperial law (LR 50): Claudius frees abandoned slaves; Vespasian forbids selling into prostitution; Domitian forbids castration; Hadrian outlaws private prisons / killing without trial; Antoninus forbids killing of slaves

B. No racial slavery (?)

C. Degree of freedom: property managers, business managers, ship captains

Peculium (slave’s own money account)

D. Feelings of attachment: Familia (extended family, including slaves); Pliny Ep. 8.16 concerned over slave illnesses

E. Philosophical (Stoic) opposition?: Sen. Ep. 47 (LR 50): “’They are slaves’ people declare. Nay, rather they are men.”

VII. Freedom

A. Manumission:

Formal: 1) by rod (vindicta) before magistrate; 2) testamentary (by will)

Informal: 3) letter; 4) among friends

Full freedom: freedman/freedwoman (libertus/liberta) receive public rights (commerce, marriage, will) but not public (vote, hold office) >> second generation (libertini) gain public rights

B. Motivations for Manumission: loyalty, purchase, reproduction (3 children), love (esp. master marries freedwoman), adoption

C. Obligations to Master: obedience and services (obsequium et operae); Take name of master; feeling of family extends to freedmen (LR 48.iv)

D. Limitations (Augustan): Age (lex Aelia Sentia: master must be 20 and slave 30); Number (lex Fufia Caninia: limits percentage of slaves manumitted in will on sliding scale); improper freedom (lex Junia Norbana: half-way citizenship to informally manumitted slaves)

E. Libertus / Liberta (freedman / freedwoman)

Advantages for all freedmen: skill; wealth; master’s support / inheritance:

Trimalchio (LR 50)