Slavery Flashcards
(168 cards)
1
Q
In the very early times, what were the few slaves of Rome used for?
A
Farm work.
2
Q
What caused a great increase in slaves in Rome, until they were more numerous than free men?
A
The Romans, their sons, and free farm hands often went to war, causing the need of slaves on the farm to rise.
3
Q
What was one of the worst evils resulting from Rome’s foreign conquests?
A
The use of slaves for personal service and industry becoming general.
4
Q
Competition with slave labour determined the what of free workmen? (2)
A
The wages and living conditions.
5
Q
Why did the number of Roman farmers grow smaller?
A
Many were killed in constant wars, and the competition with large slave-worked properties made old-style small farming unprofitable.
6
Q
When were most freeborn citizens either soldiers or slave owners unless they belonged to the poorer class in the cities?
A
By the time of Augustus.
7
Q
Plebeians were largely of what descent?
A
Plebeians were largely of foreign descent, not Italian.
8
Q
What was the chief cause of the changes in the character of the Roman people, even before the first century of the Empire?
A
Slavery.
9
Q
How do we known about the rapid increase in Roman slaves?
A
By the number of captives sold into slavery by victorious Roman generals.
10
Q
Scipio Aemilianus is said to have disposed of ________.
A
60,000 Carthaginians.
11
Q
Marius is said to have disposed of________.
A
140,000 Cimbri.
12
Q
Aemilius Paulus is said to have disposed of_________.
A
150,000 Greeks.
13
Q
Pompey and Caesar together are said to have disposed of_________.
A
More than a million Asiatics and Gauls.
14
Q
What does Horace imply about the number of slaves in Rome?
A
Even a gentleman with moderate circumstances had to have at least ten slaves.
15
Q
How many slaves did Horace have?
A
Two in town, and eight in his Sabine farm.
16
Q
______ tells of a city prefect who had _________ slaves in his mansion.
A
Tacitus…four hundred.
17
Q
Who mentioned a man who left over four thousand slaves at his death?
A
Pliny the Elder.
18
Q
What does Athenaeus (170-230AD) tell us about the population of slaves in Britain?
A
Some individuals owned as many as ten or even twenty thousand slaves.
19
Q
What groups were house slaves sometimes divided into?
A
Groups of ten.
20
Q
During the Republic, what were most slaves sold in Rome?
A
Prisoners of war.
21
Q
Why were captives sold so soon after being taken hostage? (2)
A
To avoid the trouble of feeding and guarding slaves in a hostile country.
22
Q
Who conducted the sale of prisoners of war?
A
A QUAESTOR, the general’s paymaster and financial officer.
23
Q
What was set up on the ground to mark the place of a sale?
A
A spear, the sign of a sale under public authority.
24
Q
Captives, like victims offered in sacrifice, wore what on their head?
A
Wreaths.
25
What does "sub hasta venire" or "sub corona venire" mean?
"to be sold into slavery".
26
When did Rome become one of the great slave markets of the world?
In the imperial times.
27
What slaves came from Numidia?
Swift runners.
28
What slaves came from Alexandria?
Grammarians.
29
What slaves come from Cyrene?
Able house servants.
30
What slaves came from Greece? (5)
Handsome boys and girls, well-trained scribes, accountants, secretaries and teachers.
31
What slaves came from Epirus and Illyria?
Experienced shepherds.
32
What slaves came from Cappadocia?
Patient and tireless labourers.
33
What was the permanent connection (unofficial marriage) between slaves called?
Contuberina.
34
Could slaves be legally married?
No
35
When did contuberina become of general importance?
In the late Empire.
36
It was cheaper to buy than to breed slaves.
True, especially during periods of conquest.
37
Why were slaves bred more valuable than slaves bought? (4)
They were acclimated and less liable to disease, they had been trained from childhood to perform special tasks, and they might feel a natural affection for their master and his family.
38
Slaves born into slavery were called what as long as they remained in property of their first master?
Vernae.
39
Who supervised slave auctions?
Aediles
40
What was the aedile responsible for when supervising slave auctions? (2)
They chose the place and made the rules and regulations.
41
A tax was put on what kind of slaves?
Imported slaves.
42
How could you tell if a slave was imported?
Their feet were whitened with chalk.
43
How could you tell if a slave was from the East?
They had their ears pierced.
44
What would happen if a slave had defects not in his guarantee? (2)
The dealer had to take him back in six months or the make good on the buyer's loss.
45
What were the chief terms in a slave's guarantee? (6)
The slave's name, nationality and a statement to the effect that he was free from disease, and the tendency to steal, run away, or commit suicide.
46
How would you know if a dealer gave no guarantee on a slave?
A cap was put on the slave's head at the sale.
47
Why might a dealer offer his slaves at a private sale?
If they were of unusual value, especially for those of remarkable beauty.
48
Why were captives sold on a battlefield so cheap? (4)
The Generals were eager for quick sales, and the dealers were sure to suffer heavy losses from disease, fatigue, and suicide on the trip back to Rome.
49
Slaves were once sold in whose camp for less than a dollar each?
Lucullus
50
In the time of Horace, how much did a common labourer cost?
Around $100
51
How much did Marcus Scaurus pay for a highly educated grammarian?
$28,000
52
How much did handsome, trained and educated boys usually cost?
$4,000
53
What is the main difference between public and private slaves?
Public slaves were owned by the State, and private slaves by individuals.
54
What are three reasons public slaves were better off than private slaves?
They were not as likely to be sold, not worked as hard, and not subject to the whims of an individual master.
55
What were the two main duties of public slaves?
To care for public building and serve workers of the State.
56
What four people did public slaves typically serve?
Magistrates, priests, quaestors (financial officers), and aediles.
57
What were four jobs a public slave might have?
Night fireman, lictors (attendants of officials), jailers, and executioners.
58
Private slaves were either ___________ or __________.
...employed in the personal service of their master...kept for profit.
59
What were the slaves that were employed in the service of their master called?
familia urbana (the city household)
60
What did the slaves not serving in the master's household do? (2)
They were kept for hire or employed in their master's business affairs.
61
What was the oldest and most important class of slaves?
familia rustica (farm hands)
62
It was more honourable for a master to employ his slave in enterprises of his own than to hire them out.
True
63
When a slave managed a master's business, what would he do with the profits? (3)
Pay his master a fixed annual sum from the profits, allowed to keep a share of the profits, or merely required to repay the sum advanced with interest.
64
What two things did the number of slaves kept by a Roman in his household depend on?
The demands of the fashion of the time and the amount of money the Roman in question had.
65
In the early days of Rome, what would a butler be responsible for? [4]
Buying, keeping accounts, seeing that the house and furniture were in order, and looking after the slaves of the house.
66
What kind of slaves would help the master of the house dress?
He had a slave to shave him, one to look after his feet, and a third to look after his clothes.
67
What slaves did the mistress of the house have to help her dress?
Her hairdresser and personal maid
68
How many attendants would a Roman have for their bath?
No fewer than three or four
69
What kind of slave did each child have?
A nutrix.
70
What kind of slave did every boy have?
A paedagogus.
71
Often when a master left his house, he was accompanied by his nomenclator. What did this slave do?
He prompted his master with the names of those greeting him.
72
Which slaves were the most sought after bearers?
Syrians or Cappadocians.
73
How many slaves was even a poor man attended by when he left the house?
At least one
74
Which slaves were used to entertain the master and his guests at dinner? (3)
Musicians, actors and readers.
75
For people with less refined tastes, which slaves were used for entertainment before and after dinner? (5)
Dancers, jesters, dwarfs, misshapen freaks, and under the Empire, even children
76
What jobs did slaves of the highest class hold? (3)
Secretaries, accountants and agents.
77
What was the master's power over the slave?
dominica potestas
78
What were slaves in the eyes of the law?
Mere chattels, like oxen or horses.
79
What three things were slaves legally unable to do?
They couldn't hold property, make contracts or marry, or testify in court unless under torture.
80
What were the two differences between the circumstances of a son and a slave?
1- A son became independent on his father's death, and the death of a master didn't free a slave.
2-The condition of a son was improved by pietas, but there was no pietas for a slave.
81
What two things did public opinion allow a slave to do?
To own their savings, and to sanction permanent unions of male and female slaves.
82
What four laws were passed under the Empire that seemed to recognize a slave as a person?
He could not be sold to fight wild beasts in the amphitheatre; he could not be put to death by his master just because he was old or ill; if he was turned out to die, he was freed by the act; and he could not be killed without due process of law.
83
What actually seemed to change the condition of slaves for the better?
The influence of Christianity.
84
Who once ordered a slave to be thrown alive into a pond to feed the fish as punishment?
Vedius Pollio
85
Why did Vedius Pollio once throw a slave into a pond to feed the fish?
The slave had broken a goblet.
86
A slave of Vedius Pollio broke a goblet. How was he punished?
He was thrown alive in a pond to feed the fish.
87
Cicero's letters to which slave of his proved that not all Romans were horrible people?
Tiro
88
We get information on the treatment of farm slaves from the writings of whom?
The Elder Cato
89
What did the Elder Cato believe the work ethic of farm salves should be?
Slaves should always be at work, except for the hours they were allowed to sleep, even on public holidays.
90
What four "useless things" did the Elder Cato advise farmers to sell immediately?
Worn-out draft cattle, diseased sheep, broken implements, and aged and feeble slaves.
91
Who was the Elder Cato?
A rugged farmer of his time.
92
What did Cato tell us about the food given to slaves?
A bushel of grain every month, besides that fallen olives, a little salt fish and sour wine.
93
The diet of the slaves closely corresponded to whose?
The poor Romans
94
What clothes were given to the slaves and how often?
A tunic every year, and a cloak and pair of wooden shoes every two years.
95
What would be done with the worn-out clothing of slaves?
It was returned to the slave manager and made into patchwork quilts.
96
How would a manager often cheat slaves?
By stinting their allowance for his own benefit.
97
When Italy was no longer divided into independent communities, why was an escaped slave screwed?
Even if they did reach the northern border or find passage over seas, he was still in the Roman world.
98
Why were three reasons an escaped slave was considered a criminal?
He had stolen himself, he set a bad example for other slaves, and if not caught he might become a bandit.
99
What does this mean: "Fugi. Tene me. Cum revocaveris me d.m. Zonino, accipis solidum."?
"I have run away. Catch me. If you take me back to my master Zoninus, you'll be rewarded."
100
A freeman in patria potestate could not legally own property.
True
101
How could a slave hold property?
His master could allow him to hold, manage, and use property so it would be his in all but name.
102
What was the way to allow a slave to hold property called?
peculium (the property of a son)
103
How did a slave have a claim to property if not by legal means?
It was confirmed by public opinion and custom.
104
How could a farm slave earn and save money of his own? (2)
By stinting himself he might save a little from his monthly allowance, or he might work in the hours allotted for rest and cultivate a few square yards of garden for himself.
105
How would a city slave earn and save money of his own? (3)
He was often tipped by the master and his guests, bribed to perform knavery, or rewarded for performing a certain task.
106
How might a teacher earn and save money of his own?
He'd receive gifts from his pupils.
107
Why might it be profitable for a master to teach a slave a trade and allow him to run his own business? (3)
He'd get a share of the profits, it stimulated the slave and made him more cheerful, and provided better means for controlling the slave.
108
What was the slave of a slave called?
A vicarius
109
Who did the slave of a slave legally belong to?
The owner of his master
110
According to public opinion, what was the slave of a slave regarded as?
Part of the slave-master's peculium.
111
In regards to property, what two things could a private slave not do?
He couldn't have heirs or dispose of his savings by will.
112
If a private slave died in slavery, where did all his belongings go?
To his master
113
What were public slaves allowed to do in regards to property that private slaves were not?
Dispose of half of their property by will.
114
What three occasions would force a slave to use his savings to buy presents for the master's family?
A marriage, the naming of a child, or the birthday of the mistress.
115
A beating or flogging with a lash was the most common punishment for what two crimes?
Neglect of duty or petty misconduct.
116
What was the lash or rawhide (cat-o'-nine-tails) used for punishing slaves made of?
Cords or thongs of leather
117
What could be attached to a lash if the slave's offence was more serious?
Bits of bone or metal buttons
118
What was the lash known as in Rome?
flagrum or flagellum
119
What was sometimes done to make the slave incapable of resisting the lash?
Their arms were drawn up to a beam, and weights attached to their feet, so they couldn't move.
120
Something like the stock from colonial days was used on slaves for what kind of offences?
Trivial
121
What slave inflicted the punishments?
A carnifex (executioner).
122
What was the ultimate punishment for misconduct on the part of a city slave?
Banishment to the farm.
123
What two tasks might a city slave banished to a slave perform?
Grinding at the mill or labour of the quarries.
124
What were three ways the dangerous slaves working in the quarries punished?
By forced labour under the scourge, wearing heavier shackles during the day, and having fewer hours of rest at night.
125
How were the utterly incorrigible slaves punished?
They were sold to be trained as gladiators.
126
Nothing was so much dreaded throughout Italy as what?
An uprising of slaves
127
What was the penalty for an attempt on a master's life?
Death by crucifixion
128
What was the penalty for insurrection?
Death by crucifixion
129
How many crosses did Pompey erect on the road to Rome of the survivors of Spartacus's rebellion?
Six thousand.
130
If a crime couldn't be traced to one slave in particular, what happened?
All the slave's of the master were crucified.
131
Due to the many crucifixions of slaves in Rome, what became a commonly used curse among the slaves?
crux (cross)
132
Translate this common curse used by slaves: "[I] ad [malam] crucem."
"[Go] to the [bad] cross."
133
Who carried out a death sentence?
A public slave
134
Where was a death sentence usually carried out?
A fixed place of execution outside the city walls.
135
How might a slave be freed? (3)
He might buy his freedom, or be freed as a reward for faithful service or some special act of devotion.
136
How would a master free a slave? (2)
- He had to declare him free in front of witnesses (a formal act of manumission in front of a praetor)
- freedman put the cap of liberty on his head
137
What cap was placed on a newly freed slave's head?
The cap of liberty, seen on some Roman coins.
138
What was a freedman called?
A libertus (as an individual or in reference to his master), or libertinus (as one of a class).
139
To a freed slave, what did his old master now become?
His patron
140
What were the three main things a patron would do to help out his freedman?
Give his funds to start his new life, if the freedman died first he would pay for a funeral and had the ashes or body buried near where his own would go, and he was the guardian of the freedman's kids.
141
If a freedman died with no heirs, where would his property go?
To his patron
142
What were the four main things a freedman did for his patron?
He was bound to show deference and respect to his patron at all times, attend him on public occasions, assist him in misfortune, and stand to him as a client stood to patron in the early days of Rome.
143
What jobs were in the hands of slaves and freedman in the end of the Republic? [3]
Most manual labours, many trades, and some professions.
144
Because captives to be sold as slaves wore wreaths on their heads, what phrase became known as 'to be sold into slavery'?
sub corona venire (to be sold under the crown).
145
What two punishments might a runaway slave receive when caught?
- Branded with an F on their forehead for fugitivis
| - Have a metal collar riveted around their neck
146
Who crucified 6000 slaves on the road to Rome?
Pompey, because they were part of Spartacus's rebellion.
147
What were three sources of slaves to the Romans?
Prisoners of wars, victims of slave hunters, or reproduction.
148
How were slaves often matched for sale?
By size and colouring
149
What friend of Cicero kept in his service slaves only born in the house?
Atticus
150
Who was Athenaeus?
A Greek grammarian
151
Which public officials used great numbers of slaves?
Aediles and quaestors
152
Translate: "sub hasta venire" and "sub corona venire".
"to be sold under the spear/to be sold under the crown"
153
What were the two earliest occupations of Romans?
Shepherds and farmers
154
Who thought that it was not good form for a slave to do more than one kind of work?
Cicero
155
What was the Latin term for the slave for a child?
Nutrix
156
What was a freedman called in reference to his master, as one of a class?
Libertinus
157
What nationality of slaves usually carried letters?
Syrian or Cappadocian.
158
What were two early names of slaves?
Marcipor and Olipor
159
Define "familia ubrana".
"The city household." aka slaves who were employed in the personal service of their master
160
During which time period was it cheaper to buy than to breed slaves?
During times of conquests
161
What was the duty of an ianitor?
To guard the door
162
How might a slave use their peculium? [4]
To buy his freedom, to buy small luxuries, to buy their own slave (vicarius), or to buy presents for the master's family.
163
In which province was it easier for a slave to escape and find refuge?
Greece
164
Where did wholesale dealers sell their slaves and to whom did they sell them?
They sold their slaves in Rome to dealers or private owners.
165
What were four types of entertainers that were slaves?
Actors, acrobats, gladiators and musicians
166
What was sometimes added to the furcifer as punishment?
A lashing
167
What did a slave have to do when a buyer was interested in making a purchase?
Strip naked and walk around in front of the buyer and/or a physician.
168
What would determine the cost of a slave?
Supply and demand, characteristics and accomplishments, and the requirements of the buyer.
