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Slaves and Masters in the Roman Empire: A Study in Social Control

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This book is an excellent introduction to the social condition of slavery in the Roman world. The only thing lacking is more of a historical sense of how things changed and why. Bradley does a good job of balancing the "master" view with the "slave" view, presenting several sides to each issue without much moralizing of his own -- a rare thing often in the history of slavery. A good book for both undergraduate and graduate and a good basic text to begin research from.

Bradley asks how the Romans controlled their slaves. He discovers that "It is indisputable that physical coercion from the owner played a large part in servile life...and that subjection to brutality was a basic component of slavery" (p 122).

There were all kinds of slaves, from the workers in the mines, who apparently endured unbelievable cruelty, to the pampered nannies of the rich. It is difficult to truly understand Roman slaves since there is no slave literature (p 18). However, we have the records which have been left, and the advice about slaves left by wealthy landowners.

Slaves appear to have been considered utterly base by their owners. The owners had a long litany of complaints about their slaves. They stole; they lied; they were lazy, were common complaints.

Although Roman law forbade slaves to marry, slaves of course did form families, although they could be sold at any time. There appear to have been many more male slaves than female ones (p 73). Some were later freed, perhaps by wills, or perhaps by saving up enough money to buy their own freedom.

"Domitian first forbade the castration of slaves" ( 128), although eunuchs were ubiquitous for centuries.

A fascinating book.

Bradley asks how the Romans controlled their slaves. He discovers that "It is indisputable that physical coercion from the owner played a large part in servile life...and that subjection to brutality was a basic component of slavery" (p 122).

There were all kinds of slaves, from the workers in the mines, who apparently endured unbelievable cruelty, to the pampered nannies of the rich. It is difficult to truly understand Roman slaves since there is no slave literature (p 18). However, we have the records which have been left, and the advice about slaves left by wealthy landowners.

Slaves appear to have been considered utterly base by their owners. The owners had a long litany of complaints about their slaves. They stole; they lied; they were lazy, were common complaints.

Although Roman law forbade slaves to marry, slaves of course did form families, although they could be sold at any time. There appear to have been many more male slaves than female ones (p 73). Some were later freed, perhaps by wills, or perhaps by saving up enough money to buy their own freedom.

"Domitian first forbade the castration of slaves" ( 128), although eunuchs were ubiquitous for centuries.

A fascinating book.

I found Slaves and Masters in the Roman Empire: A Study in Social Control to be a tremendous resource for accurately building the relationships between the slave and free characters in my novel, Rubies of the Viper. Anybody who is interested in this subject will find this book useful.

Could slaves interact easily and openly with their owners? Were they educated? Smart? Moral? Loyal? The answer is: In many cases, yes.

Certainly, there were many slaves who were uneducated, disloyal, conniving, and self-serving. Many never met their owners, much less built a personal relationship with them. Many adults and children were abused--sexually, physically, and psychologically--on a regular basis. Many spent their entire lives in conditions that we today simply cannot imagine or believe.

But many Roman slaves managed their masters' estates competently and honestly. Many were true companions to their masters, often from childhood. Many served the same master loyally from birth to death.

But they were still property... and that fact was never far from their minds.

Every aspect of a Roman slave's life was 100% under the control of another person. The master determined what they ate and wore. What work they did, when, and how. What kinds of sexual relationships they could have.

A master's understanding of what he wanted from his slaves--total obedience and loyalty, in most cases--and his methods of getting what he wanted were perfected long before the first century A.D. They consisted primarily of what we would call the carrot and the stick.

The carrots: a tolerable life, decent food and living conditions, a semblance of family life, a chance to have their own savings and property (peculium), and a hope of manumisson

The sticks: corporal punishment, threats of being sold or sent to labor on a plantation, and even the possibility of death at the master's sole discretion