KPJ wrote:
I understand, however, that the Roman slaves did not have a nice life at
all. The Greek slaves, on the other hand, were better fed, and better
housed. Greeks who could not pay their dues, would enter slavery for a
limited time.
(end)
Some Roman slaves had it very nice but many others did not. Rome in the
imperial era was bringing in so many enslaved people to the provinces that
slavery would not have been quite as 'genteel' as it might have been for the
Greeks. It depended on the class and also personality of the master and
whether they lived with a family in a great house as to slave treatment and
lifestyle. Being sent to a mine owned by a noble I am sure was not a
desired assignment.
I have heard of Greek texts that described in detail how a master should
treat a slave and even respect slave family structure. In terms of the
Greeks though, the question is, which city-state's slave would you be?
Being a slave in Sparta could be a terrifying thing with regular bouts of
terror and murder to maintain a strong environment of fear.
sincerely,
John Grigg
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