Role Of Slaves In Roman Economy
How did slaves affect the daily Roman economy?
As history has shown slavery has been prevalent around the world for thousands of years, however, Roman slavery differed vastly, as it was not based off of a certain type of people, but was a smorgasbord of cultures and people, taken to benefit Rome following their victories in war. As with most slaves seen throughout history, the slaves of Rome were bought and then worked for their owner usually for their lifetime, although there were some who were fortunate enough to be able to buy their freedom back. Their owners could do as they pleased with them; they could sell them, rent them and force them to work where they wanted or needed them to. Unfortunately, the majority of slaves were poorly treated and were often beat with a whip or branded, they faced harsh punishment at the hands of their …show more content…
Slaves were utilized in almost every aspect of the life. They worked in homes to assist families with everyday responsibilities, on farms to harvest grains, vines and olive, in the mines mainly for gold and silver, in the military as baggage porters and camp assistants, in factories, and for the government to construct city structures such as, the roads, buildings and aqueducts in Rome (Cartwright, 2013). The list continues and therefore, slaves possessed skills that few Roman citizens had making the Romans rely on them to better their economy and further flourish their resources.
It’s safe to say that slavery was essential to the Roman economy, much more than in any other ancient city-state around. The population of slaves supplied Rome with an enormous labor force that allowed their owners to live luxurious lifestyles, while they provided the majority of the work that needed to be done in Rome. As the workforce grew so did the economy and the pockets of the rich Roman
As history has shown slavery has been prevalent around the world for thousands of years, however, Roman slavery differed vastly, as it was not based off of a certain type of people, but was a smorgasbord of cultures and people, taken to benefit Rome following their victories in war. As with most slaves seen throughout history, the slaves of Rome were bought and then worked for their owner usually for their lifetime, although there were some who were fortunate enough to be able to buy their freedom back. Their owners could do as they pleased with them; they could sell them, rent them and force them to work where they wanted or needed them to. Unfortunately, the majority of slaves were poorly treated and were often beat with a whip or branded, they faced harsh punishment at the hands of their …show more content…
Slaves were utilized in almost every aspect of the life. They worked in homes to assist families with everyday responsibilities, on farms to harvest grains, vines and olive, in the mines mainly for gold and silver, in the military as baggage porters and camp assistants, in factories, and for the government to construct city structures such as, the roads, buildings and aqueducts in Rome (Cartwright, 2013). The list continues and therefore, slaves possessed skills that few Roman citizens had making the Romans rely on them to better their economy and further flourish their resources.
It’s safe to say that slavery was essential to the Roman economy, much more than in any other ancient city-state around. The population of slaves supplied Rome with an enormous labor force that allowed their owners to live luxurious lifestyles, while they provided the majority of the work that needed to be done in Rome. As the workforce grew so did the economy and the pockets of the rich Roman