WEEK FIVE
TREATMENT
OF SLAVES
Sources: Wiedemann, esp. ch. 9; Gardner/Wiedemann ch. 2; suggest
also reading at least one play by Aristophanes or Plautus
Questions to think about:
How were slaves treated? What
motivated this treatment: e.g. fear, affection, economic or ideological reasons
&c? How did the the treatment of
slaves differ from that of the free, and if so, how did these differences alter
over time? How far were slaves excluded
or included within the household? To what extent were slaves able to enjoy
‘family’ life, or sexual or religious rôles or freedoms?
What protection or rights, if any, were afforded to slaves under either
Athenian or Roman law? How and when did
these change, if at all, and for what reasons?
How effective were they?
What part did slaves play in the legal process and how was this
affected by their slave status; e.g. as litigants, accusers/accused,
witnesses? What role did torture play
under Athenian and Roman law? How was it
justified?
Bibliography:
General Ideology: Harris 2001, esp. chs. 12-13
Roman law and
Bradley 1987, and 1994, esp. chs 5, 7, 8
Watson 1987 pp. 84-9, ch. 8; Buckland 1908 pp. 36-8,
86-97;
Burdon in Archer 1988; Robinson 1981; Brunt 1980 (torture) and 1998
(legislation)
MacMullen 1986;
Millar 1984 (hard labour)
Thompson 2002 ch. 7; Evans-Grubbs 2000
Saller 1991 and 1996;
Clark in Joshel and Murnaghan 1998 ch. 8; Parker 1989
On sexual exploitation/attitudes: Williams 1999 ch. 1; Evans-Grubbs 1993;
Pollini 2003; James 1997; Salmeri in Katsari/Dal Lago 2008 ch. 4
On slave ‘families’: Flory 1978; Bradley (1987) Chap. 2; Gardner (1986b)
213-18.
B. Rawson 1966 ; Treggiari 1981; Hasegawa 2005
Slaves at theatre and baths: see E. Rawson 1987 and Fagan 1999
On domestic violence: Pomeroy 2007; Dossey 2008
Articles in Hunter and Edmondson 2000, esp. Hunter, Todd and Osborne.
The torture debate:
Mirhady 1996 and 2000; Gagarin 1996
Hunter 1994 chs. 3 and 6
Garlan 1988 ch. 3, also pp. 40-5
Finley (1980) 93-5; Todd 1990, espec. 33-6; check also Todd 1993
Du Bois (1991) 1-68 (more broadly theoretical), and 2003