Member-only story

Bound in Chains: Exploring the Brutal Realities of Roman Slavery

The Tragic Lives of Slaves Beneath the Glorious Roman Empire

Jules
5 min readMar 23, 2023

During the height of the Roman Empire, slavery was a commonplace practice that allowed the ruling elite to accumulate wealth and maintain their lavish lifestyles. However, behind the façade of grandeur lay a brutal reality for the countless slaves that were bound in chains

Well, the reality was not pleasant, I’ll tell you that. We’re talking about times when slavery was a norm; enslaved people had no civil rights and were treated as objects.

The life of a Roman enslaved person was not ideal, but for some slaves, it was much more convenient than one might think.

Other than some exceptions, generally slaves lived a very hard life

Photo by Chad Greiter on Unsplash

How it all Began

The Roman institution of slavery started in the 1st century B.C, when fathers were given the right to sell their own children into the barbaric life of slavery. This institution expanded with the growth of the Roman empire.

Other than fathers selling their children, Romans had multiple sources to acquire slaves such as war, piracy, and long-distance trades.

--

--

Jules
Jules

Written by Jules

Psychology Expert | MSc Social and Cultural Psychology

No responses yet