Roman Slavery
In Our Time: History
00:00
Making Real Money as a Slave
Ex-slaves are especially likely to show off their status as a free person and citizen. They want to assert themselves in the social sphere, particularly to say i have achieved something. It essentially works as an incentive - it's a fiction. Strictly speaking, a slave is property, and therefore cannot own property. But it suits slave owners, in the of particular trusted slaves, to allow them to accumulate something as if it is their own.
Transcript
Play full episode
