What was the deal with slavery in Ancient Rome? It's a difficult topic, but also nuanced and interesting. So often we hear about the nobility and higher status people of the past, but in this episode we shine a light on a less privileged, but no less important, part of Roman society.

As usual we'll be doing the honours with the help of four lovely primary sources:

- Martial, Epigram 14.220 "The Cook"

- Seneca, 47.2-4 "On Master & Slave"

- Seneca, Letters 95.24

- Pliny the Younger, Letters 3.14

Want to find out more about this week's topic? Try these two articles about slavery in Ancient Rome:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/nero-man-behind-myth/slavery-ancient-rome#:~:text=Under%20Roman%20law%2C%20enslaved%20people,from%20texts%20written%20by%20masters.

https://www.historyhit.com/what-was-life-like-for-slaves-in-ancient-rome/

And we couldn't resist this one... Here's the YouTube link to all the episodes of "Up Pompeii!" - the Frankie Howerd classic comedy series centred on the exploits of Roman slave Lurcio:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAPGcD5LGrp4FJVyyhr_t9bYB6D1E_rEO

 

Follow sistoryhistory on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and contact us at [email protected]. Music credit goes to our resident composer Alice Morgan, who you can also find on Instagram - missalicekeys. 

 

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