Slavery in Roman Republic
During the Roman Republic, Ancient Rome was at its very beginnings and a civilization was just being created. Like any other civilization there were different levels of status between classes and several positions of power in which people could obtain. Subsequently, just as there were people of power and wealth, there were also people of little to no power and poverty. The Ancient Romans utilized the institution of slavery to help promote their civilization and became a major factor in the economy of the Roman Republic. In a way slaves helped shape Rome into what it is today. Without slavery in Ancient Rome, history could have been written differently when considering Rome as a powerful city and civilization. Slavery had become a widespread institution in the Ancient World that reached throughout Europe and Asia. Rome was one of the areas that had the most access to slaves because of all the territory they gained through invasion and war. Slaves were primarily one of the bounties of ancient warfare. This included war captives, warriors, civilian men, women, and children of conquered populations. This began from a very early point in Roman history. Rome had a specific use for each person they captured. They could be used on farms, making clothes for the militia, fighting alongside the militia, reproducing new citizens, and many other forms of servitude. The Romans showed great strategies in planning and accommodating for their elite civilization they wished to create.
In order to expand their civilization the Romans had to acquire more land. With the acquisition of new land came an influx of people they could use as slaves. The first major population that the Romans captured and enslaved was the neighboring Latin tribes and the Etruscans to the north of Rome. This was at a time when the Punic wars were being fought which eventually led to the fall of Carthage in 149 B.C. It was tradition in the Ancient World to enslave the population after a war to
In order to expand their civilization the Romans had to acquire more land. With the acquisition of new land came an influx of people they could use as slaves. The first major population that the Romans captured and enslaved was the neighboring Latin tribes and the Etruscans to the north of Rome. This was at a time when the Punic wars were being fought which eventually led to the fall of Carthage in 149 B.C. It was tradition in the Ancient World to enslave the population after a war to
Bibliography: Bradley, K.R. Slavery and Society at Rome (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 1994 Bradley, K.R. Slavery and Rebellion in the Roman World 140 B.C.-70 B.C. (Bloomington : Indiana University Press), 1998. Lionel Casson. Everyday life in ancient Rome. Baltimore MD : The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998