Becoming Slaves In Rome

Slaves were a huge contributor to the Roman Empire. Without slavery, the Romans wouldn't have been able to live the lifestyle that they wanted to. The idea of slavery in Rome started with a guy named Romulus, by giving fathers authority to sell their own children into slavery for money. As Rome grew bigger, slavery grew bigger. Slaves were one fourth of Rome’s population. The Romans had their own code called “The Twelve Tables.” This law code had several rules about slavery. Slaves that were married and had children, often killed their children so that they did not have to become slaves because they would automatically become slaves if their parents were. A rich man or woman would buy a slave in a market place or at a slave auction.