Slavery Flashcards
In the very early times, what were the few slaves of Rome used for?
Farm work.
What caused a great increase in slaves in Rome, until they were more numerous than free men?
The Romans, their sons, and free farm hands often went to war, causing the need of slaves on the farm to rise.
What was one of the worst evils resulting from Rome’s foreign conquests?
The use of slaves for personal service and industry becoming general.
Competition with slave labour determined the what of free workmen? (2)
The wages and living conditions.
Why did the number of Roman farmers grow smaller?
Many were killed in constant wars, and the competition with large slave-worked properties made old-style small farming unprofitable.
When were most freeborn citizens either soldiers or slave owners unless they belonged to the poorer class in the cities?
By the time of Augustus.
Plebeians were largely of what descent?
Plebeians were largely of foreign descent, not Italian.
What was the chief cause of the changes in the character of the Roman people, even before the first century of the Empire?
Slavery.
How do we known about the rapid increase in Roman slaves?
By the number of captives sold into slavery by victorious Roman generals.
Scipio Aemilianus is said to have disposed of ________.
60,000 Carthaginians.
Marius is said to have disposed of________.
140,000 Cimbri.
Aemilius Paulus is said to have disposed of_________.
150,000 Greeks.
Pompey and Caesar together are said to have disposed of_________.
More than a million Asiatics and Gauls.
What does Horace imply about the number of slaves in Rome?
Even a gentleman with moderate circumstances had to have at least ten slaves.
How many slaves did Horace have?
Two in town, and eight in his Sabine farm.
______ tells of a city prefect who had _________ slaves in his mansion.
Tacitus…four hundred.
Who mentioned a man who left over four thousand slaves at his death?
Pliny the Elder.
What does Athenaeus (170-230AD) tell us about the population of slaves in Britain?
Some individuals owned as many as ten or even twenty thousand slaves.
What groups were house slaves sometimes divided into?
Groups of ten.
During the Republic, what were most slaves sold in Rome?
Prisoners of war.
Why were captives sold so soon after being taken hostage? (2)
To avoid the trouble of feeding and guarding slaves in a hostile country.
Who conducted the sale of prisoners of war?
A QUAESTOR, the general’s paymaster and financial officer.
What was set up on the ground to mark the place of a sale?
A spear, the sign of a sale under public authority.
Captives, like victims offered in sacrifice, wore what on their head?
Wreaths.
What does “sub hasta venire” or “sub corona venire” mean?
“to be sold into slavery”.
When did Rome become one of the great slave markets of the world?
In the imperial times.
What slaves came from Numidia?
Swift runners.
What slaves came from Alexandria?
Grammarians.
What slaves come from Cyrene?
Able house servants.
What slaves came from Greece? (5)
Handsome boys and girls, well-trained scribes, accountants, secretaries and teachers.
What slaves came from Epirus and Illyria?
Experienced shepherds.
What slaves came from Cappadocia?
Patient and tireless labourers.
What was the permanent connection (unofficial marriage) between slaves called?
Contuberina.
Could slaves be legally married?
No
When did contuberina become of general importance?
In the late Empire.
It was cheaper to buy than to breed slaves.
True, especially during periods of conquest.
Why were slaves bred more valuable than slaves bought? (4)
They were acclimated and less liable to disease, they had been trained from childhood to perform special tasks, and they might feel a natural affection for their master and his family.
Slaves born into slavery were called what as long as they remained in property of their first master?
Vernae.
Who supervised slave auctions?
Aediles
What was the aedile responsible for when supervising slave auctions? (2)
They chose the place and made the rules and regulations.
A tax was put on what kind of slaves?
Imported slaves.
How could you tell if a slave was imported?
Their feet were whitened with chalk.
How could you tell if a slave was from the East?
They had their ears pierced.
What would happen if a slave had defects not in his guarantee? (2)
The dealer had to take him back in six months or the make good on the buyer’s loss.
What were the chief terms in a slave’s guarantee? (6)
The slave’s name, nationality and a statement to the effect that he was free from disease, and the tendency to steal, run away, or commit suicide.
How would you know if a dealer gave no guarantee on a slave?
A cap was put on the slave’s head at the sale.
Why might a dealer offer his slaves at a private sale?
If they were of unusual value, especially for those of remarkable beauty.
Why were captives sold on a battlefield so cheap? (4)
The Generals were eager for quick sales, and the dealers were sure to suffer heavy losses from disease, fatigue, and suicide on the trip back to Rome.
Slaves were once sold in whose camp for less than a dollar each?
Lucullus
In the time of Horace, how much did a common labourer cost?
Around $100
How much did Marcus Scaurus pay for a highly educated grammarian?
$28,000
How much did handsome, trained and educated boys usually cost?
$4,000
What is the main difference between public and private slaves?
Public slaves were owned by the State, and private slaves by individuals.
What are three reasons public slaves were better off than private slaves?
They were not as likely to be sold, not worked as hard, and not subject to the whims of an individual master.
What were the two main duties of public slaves?
To care for public building and serve workers of the State.
What four people did public slaves typically serve?
Magistrates, priests, quaestors (financial officers), and aediles.
What were four jobs a public slave might have?
Night fireman, lictors (attendants of officials), jailers, and executioners.
Private slaves were either ___________ or __________.
…employed in the personal service of their master…kept for profit.
What were the slaves that were employed in the service of their master called?
familia urbana (the city household)
What did the slaves not serving in the master’s household do? (2)
They were kept for hire or employed in their master’s business affairs.
What was the oldest and most important class of slaves?
familia rustica (farm hands)
It was more honourable for a master to employ his slave in enterprises of his own than to hire them out.
True
When a slave managed a master’s business, what would he do with the profits? (3)
Pay his master a fixed annual sum from the profits, allowed to keep a share of the profits, or merely required to repay the sum advanced with interest.
What two things did the number of slaves kept by a Roman in his household depend on?
The demands of the fashion of the time and the amount of money the Roman in question had.
In the early days of Rome, what would a butler be responsible for? [4]
Buying, keeping accounts, seeing that the house and furniture were in order, and looking after the slaves of the house.
What kind of slaves would help the master of the house dress?
He had a slave to shave him, one to look after his feet, and a third to look after his clothes.
What slaves did the mistress of the house have to help her dress?
Her hairdresser and personal maid
