Prof Andrea Giardina
Slavery in Ancient Rome

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Which were the tasks of Roman slaves?

The destiny of the men reduced to slavery was quite various. There used to be precious slaves, whose value was worth how an entire farm: they were usually learned men, captured during the campaigns in the East, that were able to teach Greek letters to the sons of the rich Romans, or were valuable artists. They were dealed with great cure and were integrated easily in the family of their lords. A privileged position was held by those slaves that could carry out a privileged job: craftsmen, agronomists, doctors, veterinaries, etc. Among the slaves of the great city dwellings could be found a specialized staff, for example cooks or men assigned to administrative functions (secretaries, scribae, accountants, cashiers) that took care of the finances of their lord. Also not being free, individuals as these had a better social status than that of many free ones of poor condition.
Their social importance, in fact, was directly proportional to that of their lord. But the houses of the rich ones also were crowded by a remarkable number of simple slaves, assigned to the humbler services. In the cities, the slaves were widely used also for the handicraft activities and trade.
We have already said about the slaves employs in the rural villae (see above). But the slaves were also widely used in the sheep-rearing. The animal breeding was carried out in the open spaces: flocks and herds could often move of about tens or hundreds of miles, depending from the season, at the search of pastures and a favorable climate. These animals often were entrusted to slaves: they were a matter of dangerous individuals, because they could move with little control and were armed in order to defend the animals from the bandits and the predators, of which our peninsula was rich (wolves, bears, etc).
The lowest step of the slavery condition was represented by the individuals that were sent to the forced jobs in the mines. Subordinated to the hardest engagement, with debilitating rhythms, in unhealthy and dangerous conditions (the downfalls in the ancient mines were most frequent), in the mines the slaves were consumed like the fuel in a boiler: in these places was represented the most macabre and inhuman show of the ancient world.