HOW TO FREE YOUR SLAVE

Slavery was an integral part of Roman society, from the average household to the imperial palace. Yet slavery was not a permanent position, and slaves could be freed. How often did the Romans free slaves, how was it done and why? And what happened to the freed slaves afterwards?

Philip Matyszak

Not all slaves were the same. A highly educated slave who was an integral part of a Roman household had a very good chance of becoming free. Tiro, for example, was a member of Cicero’s household, effectively Cicero’s secretary, who happened to be a slave. Nevertheless, even while he was what Roman law regarded as a ‘talking tool’, Cicero spoke of Tiro with great affection (see Cicero, Letters to Friends 16.16). His servant was a friend before he was a freedman. Individuals such as Tiro may have spent on average less than a decade in servitude before being manumitted. On the other end of the scale, agricultural slaves had little chance of freedom. Laws and limits Roman law recognized several different types of manumission, and the laws affecting manumission changed…

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Ancient History (Digital) - 1 Issue, AH 53

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