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introduction
Rome during the Roman Republic did not have some of the values of modern republican thought as its name, and the Romans were hierarchical, and they only recognized each other that people of the same rank shared equal status and power.
The Roman social hierarchy was like a pyramid, with the heads or senators, knights, commoners, proletarians, and slaves arranged in descending ranks.
(Augustus accepts garlands with soldiers to capture slaves)
It is true that the "superior people" such as the senators and knights generally have a lot of privileges and financial resources over the "inferior people" such as commoners and proletarians, but the greatest thing that the "upper people" and "lower people" have in common is that they can buy slaves at the bottom of the pyramid.
If you were in Rome, you were free and had some money, and you could easily own your own slaves.
This article will introduce the Roman hierarchy and slave-buying process, and take you closer to the fate of these unfortunate people who were treated like objects.
1. From the Cradle to the Grave: Food and Clothing See Strict Hierarchical Differences
(Statue tool depicting captives)
In ancient Rome, the aristocratic ruling class ruled under a patriarchal system. During the Roman Republic, the core senators of the Senate called themselves "fathers", and the senators and nobles monopolized all administrative and religious positions with real power, and also enjoyed legal convenience;
During the Roman Empire, Emperor Octavian had the title of "Father of the Fatherland", and the power of the Roman emperor at that time was growing day by day, and many Roman emperors were worshiped as gods after their deaths.
The plebeian class belonged to the middle and lower classes of the Roman hierarchy, and the nobles and commoners at that time were very different in all aspects of life, power, etc.
(Roman slaves seek refuge on the altar)
In terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, the nobles and commoners have already shown many visible differences - there are huge differences between the two in terms of clothing style, color, and food. Commoners and slaves often wore dark-colored clothing that was resistant to dirt;
The nobles and emperors of the Senate wore white robes and purple robes, and the red-edged and white robes of the senators of the Roman Senate were classic images of the Roman upper class, in addition, it was difficult for the ancients to extract purple dye, and the scarce purple was the symbol of the royal family at that time.
In terms of diet, Roman civilians had one meal a day, which was also similar to the ancient commoners on the mainland, and under the restrictions of ancient economic conditions, ordinary people rarely had the habit of eating three meals a day. The diet of the Roman commoners was characterized by the fact that they often drank a sour Posca, and the diet was monotonous, and they often used bread to satisfy their hunger, while the Roman nobles had a very rich diet, and they could often eat pork.
(Roman Senate Costume)
In terms of law, Roman commoners and nobles were punished differently when faced with the same crime. The punishment suffered by the commoners was clearly more valuable than that of the nobles. In addition, before the promulgation of Rome's Law of the Twelve Tables, the Roman aristocracy even had the right to interpret the law as they pleased, punishing the offender as they punished.
Therefore, under the strict hierarchy of ancient Rome, we can feel the strong gap between the commoners and nobles in ancient Rome, but in terms of slave purchases, these commoners and nobles in ancient Rome stood on the same side, and in the slave trading market, they were all masters, picking and choosing a huge number of slave resources like picking a few fresh fruits.
(Slaves are picked)
2. Cheap slaves on the assembly line: can you buy any type with money?
The Roman slave market was generally a legitimate source of slaves from prisoners of war, but there were also children born to slaves, abducted foreigners, and even debtors who sold themselves into slavery.
Regardless of whether the slaves traded by the Romans were legal, and what status the slaves traded had before they were transported to the slave market, the slave market in Rome was generally in excess of demand, and the Romans could buy the slaves they wanted, as long as the Romans had some savings.
(Ancient Roman dinner slave holding vomiting guest)
Legal slave markets had specially built trading places, and for the Romans, there was no difference between buying slaves and going to other types of bazaars to buy daily necessities.
In addition, some of the slave traders in Rome were hiding in the area near the Pantheon, selling mild-tempered boy slaves or exotic slaves, and the Romans who were interested in buying such slaves had to ask them directly: What else was hidden behind the shop?
(Tombstone owned by a reputable Roman slave)
During the slave trade, these new slaves from different origins would eventually stand on a high platform so that buyers could choose clearly. Slaves were marked with special marks on their feet, and slave traders would indicate where they were born and where they came from.
The slaves in these markets were essentially human beings, but they were objectified by another group of human beings. For example, the children of Roman commoner families at that time would treat male slaves of their age in the same way - the boy slave usually slept in a small cage, and the children of the Roman freedmen would open the cage when they were happy, hug the boy like a puppy, share food, and laugh together.
3. The way out of the slaves in the market after they were bought—death or freement
After slaves in the Roman market were purchased by commoners or nobles, there were two main ways out. Most slaves remained slaves at all times, and they could be disposed of at the discretion of their masters, who had the right to punish or resell or even kill them. Some of the lucky slaves had the opportunity to embark on the path of freeing slaves and regain their freedom.
(Freeing Slave Inscription)
These lucky slaves can be redeemed with their own money or freed by the kindness of their masters.
Roman slaves included domestic slaves who received many favors from their noble masters, or domestic and communal slaves who made their fortunes, and these slaves were probably richer than the average freedman, and their wealth paved the way for their descendants.
(The figure's head wears a felt hat that symbolizes liberation)
For example, the historian Tacitus records a controversy in the Senate in Nero's time, which was about complaints that most of the senators and knights of the time were descendants of freed slaves.
Although freed slaves appeared to be free, they still did not have corresponding rights in many respects. For example, Rome had a system of protection, and freed slaves were in many cases the protected, and they had to flatter their corresponding protectors, and they rushed to the protector's home to praise the virtues of the protector.
(Roman slave shackles)
Moreover, under Roman law, if the freed slave did not exercise the obligations of the protected person, the protector had the right to return the freed slave to slavery. So in a way, freed slaves are still free people who have half their feet in slavery.
epilogue
Under Rome's strict hierarchy, the nobility and the plebeians were already very different in every way.
(Roman female slave looking at a storage box)
But they can all buy slaves and treat them like objects. In ancient Rome, a world without slavery was unimaginable for the ancient Romans, and the plight and plight of slaves at that time deserve our reflection.
Bibliography:
Guizhou Social Sciences,2018,(12):53-64.
Ma Shushan,Zhu Hongyu.On the differentiation and transformation of slaves in ancient Rome and its causes[J].Lanzhou Academic Journal,2001,(02):78-81.