The Webmaster. The worst thing that could happen to you was plantation chattel slavery or mine slavery. (Shelton, 1988). No wine or cooked meals for them. The city slaves lived a relatively cushy life for slaves. The benefit of citizenship is dramatically displayed in the fates of the apostles, Peter and Paul. Later in the Roman empire, when new slaves were less easy to obtain, slaves became more valuable. Obviously, life working in a mine as a Roman slave wouldn't be desired, by contrast to that of some house slaves. Even the name, Solnitsata, means “salt works.” All across the Balkans, salt was a crucial commodity and trading was vigorous. In fact, the role of slavery in Britain's wealth did not diminish. In my opinion this kind of slavery was sometimes harsher than 'Confederate' slavery. Other slaves worked skilled jobs such as teaching or business accounting. Mine workers under Romans were divided into three classes: free citizens, slaves and criminals. Britons owned slave-worked mines and plantations and invested in countries which were dependent on slave labour until the 1880s when slavery was finally abolished in the Americas. This included both unskilled labor in the farms, mines and construction, and skilled professional labor such as that of teachers, accountants and physicians. Figure 2 [after Shepherd, p. 21] The iron tools of the miner did not change into the colonial period. Rome, agricultural slaves dungeon, engraving, 1866. Explain how the city of Rome compared to other cities of their day. Free citizens were employed for skilled work. Some became slaves because they could not pay back the money they had borrowed. Slavery had a long history in the ancient world and was practiced in Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as Rome. Their magnitude far exceeded anything that came before. Many Roman slaves, however, worked on farms, in mines and in other types of industry where life expectancy was typically short. 15 Truly Shocking Facts … Beheading instead of crucifixion, exile instead of slavery in the mines or quarries until you were worked to death: being a citizen had tremendous advantages. Following the adoption of Christianity by Emperor Constantine (AD 306 - 37) numbers decreased. Vast amounts of slave-grown tobacco were imported from the southern states in the USA, and then from Cuba and Brazil. But as the case of Zoilos from Aphrodisias, Turkey, makes clear, slavery was not necessarily a permanent situation. Slaves were the primary labor force of the city and provided a wide range of services. A number of Roman artefacts have been found in the mine including a horde of silver coins and a … Therefore, the phrase servus poenae was used for people who were sentenced to become slaves and work in the mines (Damnati in metallum, condemed (in) to the mines). The Roman writer Columella said that slaves should have their quarters underground and there would be no need to supply lighting an minimal heating. The Roman Slave Trade. There was a Roman gold mine at Dolaucothi in Wales. 188]. A letter found from Roman London indicates that there was a slave market in the city. Slavery, first and foremost, was practiced by many peoples. They were fed on scraps of meat, bread and water. Slavery existed in Roman society from an early stage of its development. Tombs and gravesites lend evidence to support the praise that some Romans felt towards their slaves. After the painting by J.H. There are a few differences that I can think of. Roman labor laws were passed that mandated working conditions for the slaves in the mines. Slaves in mines and farms lived much more difficult lives than slaves in households. Most slaves fell into their unfortunate position after being captured in battle or condemned for a criminal offence. 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