Slavery was an ever-present phenomenon in the ancient Roman Empire. It played an essential role in society, and enslaved people were an important part of the economy. These enslaved people were so prominent in numbers that Romans did not see slavery as something uncommon or unjust.
Male and female slaves were sold and bought like cattle. There were different classes of slaves in the ancient Roman Empire. These slaves were bought, sold, tortured, and even killed in extreme cases for the sake of enjoyment. This inhumane treatment made the lives of all slaves miserable. But what is the history of slaves in ancient Rome? How were people enslaved? And how did their masters and the centralized government treat them?
In the ancient Roman Empire, slavery was so deeply rooted in the culture that people didn’t think it was anything unusual. Freedom was not considered a birthright; instead, it was regarded as a selected privilege. Furthermore, it was said that the freedom of one class of people was only possible because the other class was enslaved. Power and inequality were crucial parts of society. Slavery was considered a necessary practice for Romans as it was not thought of as something evil. The number of slaves was viewed as a sign of wealth, so the more, the better! Rich people are even said to have up to 400 slaves at a time. Nevertheless, it was also common for poor people to have a certain number of slaves.