Yesterday morning, we took a walking tour of Rome. This city is so beautiful, and each building we passed had a unique story to tell. Two of the most impressive sites we visited were the Pantheon and the Collosseum. One of the reasons the ancient Romans were able to create these huge, intricate structures is that they utilized slave labor. However, what the Romans called slavery was very different from the slavery that existed in the United States.
In the American South, people used punishments to motivate their slaves to work. Although this also happened in ancient Rome, the Romans were more likely to use rewards as incentives. Slaves were able to gain education and experience in a trade by working for their owner. Additionally, they were able to choose their location and the type of work they wanted to perform. If they worked hard, they were given better jobs. Finally, if they managed to work hard enough or save up some money, they could earn or buy their freedom, which gave them the ability to work for a wage.
Also in contrast to American slavery, former Roman slaves were not stigmatized if they were freed. They could work and live among people who had never been slaves without facing any sort of discrimination. It was not uncommon for freed slaves to go into business with their former owners. In this way, Roman slavery was similar to an apprenticeship. Interestingly, lower class Roman citizens would sometimes sell themselves into slavery because they felt it would improve their chances of upward mobility. Although the presence of slavery generally indicates a non-market economy, the extent to which Roman slaves were able to make decisions about their lives shows that market forces were at work in the labor market of ancient Rome.
In the American South, people used punishments to motivate their slaves to work. Although this also happened in ancient Rome, the Romans were more likely to use rewards as incentives. Slaves were able to gain education and experience in a trade by working for their owner. Additionally, they were able to choose their location and the type of work they wanted to perform. If they worked hard, they were given better jobs. Finally, if they managed to work hard enough or save up some money, they could earn or buy their freedom, which gave them the ability to work for a wage.
Also in contrast to American slavery, former Roman slaves were not stigmatized if they were freed. They could work and live among people who had never been slaves without facing any sort of discrimination. It was not uncommon for freed slaves to go into business with their former owners. In this way, Roman slavery was similar to an apprenticeship. Interestingly, lower class Roman citizens would sometimes sell themselves into slavery because they felt it would improve their chances of upward mobility. Although the presence of slavery generally indicates a non-market economy, the extent to which Roman slaves were able to make decisions about their lives shows that market forces were at work in the labor market of ancient Rome.
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