Roman Society full topic

How do people become slaves?

• Born a slave (born to a slave mother)

• Captives of war

• Exposure (abandoned babies)

• Kidnapping (captured sold into slavery)

• Criminals (condemned to slavery)

• Sold (parents may sell their children)

What happened at slave markets?

1. Slaves displayed on platforms and undressed for closer inspection

2. New arrivals marked with white chalked feet

3. Slaves wore placards

What are the three types of slaves?

1. Domestics slaves
2. Industrial slaves
3. Public slaves

What do domestic slaves do?

• Live in household
• Look after family
• Perform familial tasks

What type of job roles do domestic slaves do?

MEN

• Paedogogi
• Gardener
• Cooks
  FEMALE
• nurses
• hairdressers
• cleaners

How many slaves would an average household have?

Only one or a few, a wealthy household will have many

What do industrial slaves do?

Work in the mines, large farming estates

Who were typically industrial slaves?

Strong male slaves

What was life as an industrial slave like?

Short life expectancy

• supervised by overseer (slave)
  — may be put in private prison if slave displeased their master

What are public slaves?

Owned by the state and performed many roles in the city

What role did public male slaves perform?

Construction - roads/buildings
Clean temples
Maintaining public aqueducts
Scribes
Gladiators
Prostitutes

Rights and treatments of slaves

• Newly enslaved individuals were stripped down of their former identity
• Slaves could not get married
• Slaves had no legal or political rights
  Quality of treatment depends on master

How could slaves obtain freedom?

• Earn enough money and buy freedom

• Master chooses to free the slave if they served well

• Freeing female slaves for marriage

• Freeing elderly slaves who were too weak - to cut expenses

Manumission

The act of freeing a slave by the slave's master

Different ways of performing manumission

• Slave + master appear before a magistrate
• Master states in his will that he wished to free some or all his slaves
• Slave is invites to recline on a couch by his master
• Master would declare his slave free in front of his friends

Rights of freedmen

• Roman citizenship
• Vote in elections
• Make a will
• Make business agreements
• Get married
• Could be Augustales

Augustales

Priests of the imperial cult, usually made up of freed men

Limited rights of freedom

• Could not become senator
• Could not be senator's wife
• Could only be equestrian rank
• Could not serve as an officer in legions
• Could not stand as candidate in elections

Obligations of slaves

• Leave his ex master money in his will
• Could not do anything which could harm his ex master
• Had to work for a certain number of days for his master each year or give him money

Name two social classes}Senators
Equites

What was the highest social class?}Senators

What qualifications do you need to be a senator? BE A MAN:

father had to be a senator

What were reasons why senators were removed from senatorial class?

Loss of wealth

Privileges of senators

Broad purple stripe of tunic

Rights and responsibilities of senators

Worked in the service of state performing certain political and religious roles

Consul}The most important public official in Rome after the emperor

two consuls were elected annually

Praetor}An official of the Roman Republic in charge of enforcing civil law

Equites}2nd elite who were successful businessmen (they could engage in trade)

What are the difference between equites and senators?}Equites could engage in trade and commerce which senators couldn't

Privileges of equites

Narrow purple stripe on tunic

Give an example of an equite}Pontius Pilate

What are the highest positions in the equestrian career?}1. Command of the Praetorian Guard

2. Governorship of Egypt

What special privileges may Roman citizens be granted?

• Right to engage in politics

• Lesser punishments (beheadings)

• Legal toga wearing

• Children would be given full citizenship

• Tax exemptions

What was the Roman class system like?

There were four classes of people: Citizens of Rome (cives), Latins, noncitizens, slaves

How could you gain citizenship?

• Male slave (30+) was freed
• Children of citizens
• Emperor grants you citizenship
• Service, 26 years in the Roman navy, 25 years in the auxiliary

How could you prove you were a citizen?

• Name on census list (updated every 5 years)
• Three part name
• Wearing a toga

How does citizenship protect Romans?

They were granted lesser punishments and you could not flog a citizen without a fair trial (Acts 22:24-9)

What did citizenship look like for women?

Women were given a limited form of citizenship and were regarded as minors. They could not vote

What are the right and privileges of citizens?

• Right to vote
• State benefits (corn handouts)
• Right to hold civic office (elected position)
• Free entry to public games
• Right to hold property
• Free use of public baths
• Right to male legal contracts
• Immunity form some taxes
• Ability to marry
• Protection under Roman law