#ANCIENT ROMAN SLAVE MARKET SKIN#

While the Romans had clear notions about non-Romans, other cultures, and even different body types and facial features, they lacked the notions of race that developed in Europe and the Americas from the fifteenth century to the present: that is, a notion that associates a particular set of characteristics (usually deeply discrediting for all but whites) with a skin color and particular physiogamy. In effect, slave is associated with black. Although we acknowledge that slavery existed in places and cultures other than the southern United States, in particular Greco-Roman antiquity, popular historical imagination usually associates slavery with race-in particular with the millions of black Africans shipped to the Americas from the seventeenth century on. Which noun a translator chooses will connote particular meanings for readers of ancient Roman texts in the twenty-first century, especially in the context of slavery. The term, “origin,” in Latin is natio: the Oxford Latin Dictionary tells its readers that natio can mean origin, people, nation, or race. Alan Watson)Īs the Roman law on the sale of slaves makes clear, the ancient Romans paid attention to the origin of the slaves whom they bought, sold, and used in their houses, farms, and businesses. (Edict of the Aediles, Digest 21.1.31.21, trans. Those who sell slaves must state the natio of each at the sale for the natio of a slave frequently encourages or deters a prospective buyer hence it is advantageous to know his natio, since it is reasonable to suppose that some slaves are good because they originate from a tribe that has a good reputation, and others bad because they come from a tribe that is rather disreputable. Historian Sandra Joshel, however, makes note of important distinctions the Romans made among their bondspeople. Instead they argued that those enslaved by the Romans had a rough equality regardless of their region of origin. Finally, it is worth noting that the slaves, being displayed at slave markets, had to be completely naked, because the buyer had the right to freely see his “goods”.Most historians of the Roman world have decoupled the concepts of bondage and race that are central to the arguments justifying the enslavement of millions of people in the United States and other modern western nations. Many poor Romans were unable to buy even a small house, which cost as much as a good slave for a patrician. For his big house, in turn, he paid 875,000 denarii a year. For example, Cicero spent 25,000 denarii a year on the education of his son in Athens. In order to realize what costs we are talking about, we need to compare the price of the slave with the price of ordinary products. Until the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire, many surprising transactions had been recorded Suetonius recalls how Quintus Catullus bought a grammar from Lutatius Daphnis for 175,000 denarii.

A trained vineyard worker in Augustus’ day cost 2,000 denarii. Two centuries later, these prices were probably lower. According to Plautus, the two captive children and their guardians cost from 2,000 to 6,000 denarii, while the girl familiar with music cost 4,000 denarii. Hence, also called the Censor because of his office, he ordered a high tax on the luxuries of the mighty under his magistrate. 250 BCE – 184 BCE) mentions that the conservative Cato the Elder was willing to pay between 5 denarii for a slave.Ĭato also complained a lot about the approach of the lavish, wealthy Romans, who offered up to 2,500 denarii for a beautiful boy or girl. After a victorious military campaign, in which many slaves were captured, the price was naturally low due to the multitude of goods. The price of slaves in ancient Rome varied greatly. Rome’s contacts with Africa and Far East.

Ancient roman slave market