Slaves in Rome

               Slaves throughout history have often been treated as though they were the owner’s property. They did not have rights and they were forced into grueling hours of labor. In Ancient Rome there was an abundance of slaves, all of whom were not treated with compassion. As John Madden wrote in Slavery in the Roman Empire, “Though slavery was a prevailing feature of all Mediterranean countries in antiquity, the Romans had more slaves and depended more on them than any other people” (Volume 3). These slaves lived meager lives full of hardships and doubt. Even though the Romans did not treat the slaves as if they were anything, Rome would never have risen to be a powerful empire without the help of the slaves.

                The city of Rome would have fallen into discord and pandemonium had the slaves not been there to keep it together. The owners may not have realized it but the slaves did everything around the house and home. A Roman playwright, Plautus, wrote a play pertaining to the subject of slavery. A slave owner in the play says the following, “You, fellow! That’s got the pitcher, fetch the water. Take care the kettle's full instanter. You who's got the ax, look after chopping the wood” (Plautus, Pseudolus, Act I, Scene II). The owner most likely was involved in the Roman government and could not be persuaded to work around the house. If he did he would not have the time to perform his civic duties. If the slaves were not there to keep the people in charge of Rome happy and healthy Rome would have fallen into complete disarray.

                Slave revolts also helped to shape Rome and bring it to power. There is a record of one such revolt by slaves written by Diodorus Siculus. A Syrian slave, Eunus, owned by Antigenes of Enna led the revolt. “Immediately, therefore, they brought together four hundred of their fellow slaves and, having armed themselves in such ways as opportunity permitted, they fell upon the city of Enna, with Eunus at their head and working his miracle of the flames of fire for their benefit” (Diodorus Siculus, Book 34, Line 11). The revolt had begun and history was about to change. The slaves ravaged the city and killed many of their brutal owners and owners’ families. After the slaves had mutilated most of Rome and now had an impressive group a Roman commander by the name of Rupilius began to counteract the revolt. “Finally, after Sarapion, a Syrian, had betrayed the citadel, the general laid hands on all the runaway slaves in the city, whom, after torture, he threw over a cliff. From there he advanced to Enna, which he put under siege in much the same manner, bringing the rebels into extreme straits and frustrating their hopes” (Diodorus Siculus, Book 34,Line 21). This proved that Rome was growing in power and needed a formidable opponent to prove it. They had been growing for quite some time now and, with the help of the slaves, showed themselves that they were a powerful empire.

                Roman slaves also helped Rome to become more organized in governmental laws. A prominent example of how new laws had to be established and decided upon occurred when a slave killed his owner, Pedanius Secundus. There was a great debate about how the matter should be settled because such a decision had never had to be made as of yet. As written by Tacitus in Annals, “No one dared to oppose the proposal of Cassius, so the dissonant voices of those who were for mercy brought up the number, the age, the gender and the undoubted innocence of the majority: but the side that favored execution won out” (Tacitus, Annals). This shows that because of the actions of a slave, even though it was a murder, helped Rome to discover where it could improve upon; making specific laws so the city does not have to be thrown into turmoil because of one slave.

                The slaves in Rome were plentiful and no one could seem to function without them. The owners did not think much of them even if they did keep Rome running. Their many actions went unnoticed until drastic measures were taken. Plays were made about them and many stories were told about how they lived and what some of them dared to do. If there had not been slaves in the city Rome would never have grown and prospered into the empire it became.

Madden, John. "Slavery in the Roman Empire Numbers and Origins." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Web. 26 Mar. 2010. <http://web.archive.org/web/20031211005259/www.ucd.ie/classics/96/Madden96.html>.

Plautus. "Slavery in the Roman Republic." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 26 Mar. 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/slavery-romrep1.html>.

Siculus, Diodorus. "Sources for the Three Slave Revolts." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 26 Mar. 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/3slaverevolttexts.htm>.

Tacitus. "The Murder of Pedanius Secundus." University of Michigan. Web. 26 Mar. 2010. <http://www.umich.edu/~classics/programs/class/cc/372/sibyl/db/Tac-Ann-xiv42to45.html>.