Gregory Aldrete

The most common source of slaves in the Roman world was war. So wherever the Roman army went, in its wake would be literally a train of slave traders. So you're in war. You capture an enemy city. You whack the people over the head, and you turn around if you're a soldier, and you sell them to one of these slave traders that's following the army around, literally.

So that's probably the biggest source of slaves. Another big source is just children of slaves or slaves. Yeah. And some people could literally sell either themselves or their children into slavery due to economic necessity or privation or something. So as terrible as that sounds, a father could sell a child if he needed money.

So that's probably the biggest source of slaves. Another big source is just children of slaves or slaves. Yeah. And some people could literally sell either themselves or their children into slavery due to economic necessity or privation or something. So as terrible as that sounds, a father could sell a child if he needed money.

So that's probably the biggest source of slaves. Another big source is just children of slaves or slaves. Yeah. And some people could literally sell either themselves or their children into slavery due to economic necessity or privation or something. So as terrible as that sounds, a father could sell a child if he needed money.

Once you were a slave, though, the experience of slavery varied a lot because – A lot of the slaves were agricultural slaves, so they would work sort of like in the American South, big plantations. They might be chained. They were probably abused.

Once you were a slave, though, the experience of slavery varied a lot because – A lot of the slaves were agricultural slaves, so they would work sort of like in the American South, big plantations. They might be chained. They were probably abused.

Once you were a slave, though, the experience of slavery varied a lot because – A lot of the slaves were agricultural slaves, so they would work sort of like in the American South, big plantations. They might be chained. They were probably abused.

That's very similar to slavery as we think of it in, let's say, the Caribbean, South America, or the United States prior to the Civil War, that kind of slavery. But a lot of Roman slaves were also some of the more skilled people. And this seems a little weird. So if you're a rich person, you have slaves, it's actually a good investment for you to train your slaves in a profession.

That's very similar to slavery as we think of it in, let's say, the Caribbean, South America, or the United States prior to the Civil War, that kind of slavery. But a lot of Roman slaves were also some of the more skilled people. And this seems a little weird. So if you're a rich person, you have slaves, it's actually a good investment for you to train your slaves in a profession.

That's very similar to slavery as we think of it in, let's say, the Caribbean, South America, or the United States prior to the Civil War, that kind of slavery. But a lot of Roman slaves were also some of the more skilled people. And this seems a little weird. So if you're a rich person, you have slaves, it's actually a good investment for you to train your slaves in a profession.

So a lot of Roman doctors, scribes, accountants, sort of, all this sort of thing, barbers were slaves. Because if you train this person and then they produce a lot of money for you, you get that money. And those slaves would sometimes be given an incentive to work hard where they could – and this is just sort of an agreement between the master and the slave.

So a lot of Roman doctors, scribes, accountants, sort of, all this sort of thing, barbers were slaves. Because if you train this person and then they produce a lot of money for you, you get that money. And those slaves would sometimes be given an incentive to work hard where they could – and this is just sort of an agreement between the master and the slave.

So a lot of Roman doctors, scribes, accountants, sort of, all this sort of thing, barbers were slaves. Because if you train this person and then they produce a lot of money for you, you get that money. And those slaves would sometimes be given an incentive to work hard where they could – and this is just sort of an agreement between the master and the slave.

If they earned a certain amount of money, X amount of money, they could then buy their own freedom from the master. So this was your incentive to work harder if you were trained, let's say, as a doctor. I work really hard. I can buy myself out of slavery. Or a lot of masters would free their slaves and their wills. So when they died, they would say, I manumit this slave and that slave.

If they earned a certain amount of money, X amount of money, they could then buy their own freedom from the master. So this was your incentive to work harder if you were trained, let's say, as a doctor. I work really hard. I can buy myself out of slavery. Or a lot of masters would free their slaves and their wills. So when they died, they would say, I manumit this slave and that slave.

If they earned a certain amount of money, X amount of money, they could then buy their own freedom from the master. So this was your incentive to work harder if you were trained, let's say, as a doctor. I work really hard. I can buy myself out of slavery. Or a lot of masters would free their slaves and their wills. So when they died, they would say, I manumit this slave and that slave.

So it was a weird institution in that it was – Elements were just as horrible as what we think of as slavery and just as exploitative. And like I say, the overall notion of slavery is intensely dehumanizing. But yet there was this wide range of types of slaves.

So it was a weird institution in that it was – Elements were just as horrible as what we think of as slavery and just as exploitative. And like I say, the overall notion of slavery is intensely dehumanizing. But yet there was this wide range of types of slaves.

So it was a weird institution in that it was – Elements were just as horrible as what we think of as slavery and just as exploitative. And like I say, the overall notion of slavery is intensely dehumanizing. But yet there was this wide range of types of slaves.

And the odd thing is in the city of Rome, many of the worst jobs – so if you're just a laborer hauling crap around at the docks or things like that, you might well be a free person and a slave would hold a skilled job. And that seems a little strange or counterintuitive to us, but you see how in the Roman economy it sort of works.