Slavery In The 1st Century

TYPES OF SLAVES

TYPES OF SLAVES

• Prisoners of war
• Sailors captures and sold by pirates
• Slave bought outside Rome
• "Bond - Servants"

WHAT THE SLAVES LOOKED LIKE

What Slaves Looked Like

Slaves were usually foreigners.
Roman slavery was not based on race.

What Slaves Looked Like

A slave was usually a different:
Race
Ethnicity
Nationality
Religion
Than their owners.

CONDITIONS OF SLAVES

Conditions of Slaves

Sometimes the slaves had better conditions than free people.
People would often volunteer to become a slave because of this.

WHERE THE SLAVES WORKED

Where the slaves worked

• Private households
• Mines and factories
• Farms

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLAVE AND MASTER

Relationships

Many masters showed respect to their slaves.
There were also masters who beat their slaves and mistreated them.

HOW POLITICS DETERMINE THE SLAVES' RIGHTS

Politics and Slavery

Roman slavery laws kept changing as their political views changed.

THE REBELLION LED BY SPARTICUS

Rebellion of Spartacus

Because of this slaves that were in the western region were treated more harshly while slaves in the eastern region had more freedom.

MANUMISSION

Formal Manumission

• Servants received full Roman citizenship
• There was only one exception

INFORMAL MANUMISSION

• Gave slaves fewer rights

THE RATE OF A SLAVE

The rate of a slave

They were worth 30 pieces of silver.

RUNAWAY SLAVES

Runaway slaves

If the master found their slave that had run away they had two options.
They could punish them or they could sell them to another master.

Runaway Slaves

If someone had been discovered hiding a slave, the true master could demand a payment for lost wages.

Runaway Slaves

Refer to Philemon 18

FREED SLAVES

Freed Slaves

Once freed, Slaves could work as :
Craftsmen
Midwives
Traders

SLAVE RANKS

SLAVE RANKS

• Slave Minister
• Temple slaves
• Estate manager slaves
• Merchant/craftsman slaves
• Agricultural slaves

SLAVE RANKS (CONTINUED)

• Domestic slaves
• Prostitutes
• Minors
• Other dangerous occupation workers

SATURNALIA

Saturnalia

For 3 days, the slaves were waited on by their masters.

THE END