The Rise and Fall of Antoninus

Following Spartacus's war, the Roman elite began to think differently about their servants. Antoninus codified the idea that just as a slave had a duty to his master, a master had aduty to his slave. In some cases, a cruel master could be ordered to sell his slaves and in all cases, the murder of a slave was now considered homicide. If slavery was going to survive as an institution, these rights needed to be extended to prevent mass uprisings. Cruel masters were a national security threat, more than they were a moral affront.