DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13855#0348
SERVUS.
310
SERVUS.
tive, and great fortunes were frequently
realised from it. Slaves were usually sold
by auction at Rome. They were placed
either on a raised stone (hence de lapide
emtus), or a raised platform (catasta), so that
every one might see and handle them, even
if they did not wish to purchase them. Pur-
chasers usually took care to have them
stripped naked, for slave-dealers had recourse
to as many tricks to conceal personal defects
as the horse-jockeys of modern times : some-
times purchasers called in the advice of me-
dical men. Newly imported slaves had their
feet whitened with chalk, and those that
came from the East had their ears bored,
which we know was a sign of slavery among
many eastern nations. The slave-market,
like all other markets, was under the juris-
diction of the aediles, who made many regu-
lations by edicts respecting the sale of slaves.
The character of the slave was set forth in
a scroll (titulus) hanging around his neck,
which was a warranty to the purchaser : the
vendor was bound to announce fairly all his
defects, and if he gave a false account had to
take him back within six months from the
time of his sale, or make up to the purchaser
what the latter had lost through obtaining
an inferior kind of slave to what had been
warranted. The chief points which the
vendor had to warrant, were the health of the
slave, especially freedom from epilepsy, and
that he had not a tendency to thievery, run-
ning away, or committing suicide. Slaves
sold without any warranty wore at the time
of sale a cap (pileus) upon their head.
Slaves newly imported were generally pre-
ferred for common work : those who had
served long were considered artful (vetera-
tores); and the pertness and impudence of
those born in their master's house, called
teniae, were proverbial. The value of slaves
depended of course upon their qualifications ;
but under the empire the increase of luxury
and the corruption of morals led purchasers
to pay immense sums for beautiful slaves,
or such as ministered to the caprice or whim
of the purchaser. Eunuchs always fetched
a very high price, and Martial speaks of
beautiful boys who sold for as much as
100,000 or 200,000 sesterces each (885Z. 8s. id.
and 1770Z. lGs. 8c?.). Slaves who possessed
a knowledge of any art which might bring
profit to their owners, also sold for a large
sum. Thus literary men and doctors fre-
quently fetched a high price, and also slaves
fitted for the stage.—Slaves were divided into
many various classes : the first division was
into public or private. The former belonged
to the state and public bodies, and their con-
dition was preferable to that of the common
slaves. They were less liable to be sold, and
under less control, than ordinary slaves :
they also possessed the privilege of the tes-
tamenti factio to the amount of one half of
their property, which shows that they were
regarded in a different light from other slaves.
Public slaves were employed to take care of
the public buildings, and to attend upon ma-
gistrates and priests. A body of slaves be-
longing to one person was called familia, but
two were not considered sufficient to consti-
tute a familia. Private slaves were divided
into urban (familia urbana) and rustic
(familia rustica) ; but the name of urban
was given to those slaves who served in the
villa or country residence as well as in the
town house ; so that the words urban and
rustic rather characterised the nature of their
occupations than the place where they served.
Slaves were also arranged in certain classes,
which held a higher or a lower rank accord-
ing to the nature of their occupation. These
classes are ordinarii, vulgares, and mediastini.
—Ordinarii seem to have been those slaves
who had the superintendence of certain parts of
the housekeeping. They were always chosen
from those who had the confidence of their
master, and they generally had certain slaves
under them. To this class the actores, pro-
curatores, and dispensatores belong, who
occur in the familia rustica as well as the
familia urbana, but in the former are almost
the same as the villici. They were stewards
or bailiffs. To the same class also belong the
slaves who had the charge of the different
stores, and who correspond to our house-
keepers and butlers : they are called cellarii,
promt, condi, procuratores peni, &c.— Yulyares
included the great body of slaves in a house
who had to attend to any particular duty in
the house, and to minister to the domestic
wants of their master. As there were dis-
tinct slaves or a distinct slave for alnost
every department of household economy, as
bakers (pistores), cooks (coqui), confectioners
[dulciarii], picklers (salmentarii), &c, it is
unnecessary to mention these more particu-
larly. This class also included the porters
(ostiarii), the bed-chamber slaves (cubicu-
larii), the litter-bearers (lecticarii), and all
personal attendants of any kind.—Medias-
tini, the name given to slaves used for any
common purpose, was chief!}' applied to cer-
tain slaves belonging to the familia rustica.
—The treatment of slaves of course varied
greatly, according to the disposition of their
masters, but they were upon the whole, as
has been already remarked, treated with
greater severity and cruelty than among the
Athenians. Originally the master could use
the slave as he pleased : under the republii
310
SERVUS.
tive, and great fortunes were frequently
realised from it. Slaves were usually sold
by auction at Rome. They were placed
either on a raised stone (hence de lapide
emtus), or a raised platform (catasta), so that
every one might see and handle them, even
if they did not wish to purchase them. Pur-
chasers usually took care to have them
stripped naked, for slave-dealers had recourse
to as many tricks to conceal personal defects
as the horse-jockeys of modern times : some-
times purchasers called in the advice of me-
dical men. Newly imported slaves had their
feet whitened with chalk, and those that
came from the East had their ears bored,
which we know was a sign of slavery among
many eastern nations. The slave-market,
like all other markets, was under the juris-
diction of the aediles, who made many regu-
lations by edicts respecting the sale of slaves.
The character of the slave was set forth in
a scroll (titulus) hanging around his neck,
which was a warranty to the purchaser : the
vendor was bound to announce fairly all his
defects, and if he gave a false account had to
take him back within six months from the
time of his sale, or make up to the purchaser
what the latter had lost through obtaining
an inferior kind of slave to what had been
warranted. The chief points which the
vendor had to warrant, were the health of the
slave, especially freedom from epilepsy, and
that he had not a tendency to thievery, run-
ning away, or committing suicide. Slaves
sold without any warranty wore at the time
of sale a cap (pileus) upon their head.
Slaves newly imported were generally pre-
ferred for common work : those who had
served long were considered artful (vetera-
tores); and the pertness and impudence of
those born in their master's house, called
teniae, were proverbial. The value of slaves
depended of course upon their qualifications ;
but under the empire the increase of luxury
and the corruption of morals led purchasers
to pay immense sums for beautiful slaves,
or such as ministered to the caprice or whim
of the purchaser. Eunuchs always fetched
a very high price, and Martial speaks of
beautiful boys who sold for as much as
100,000 or 200,000 sesterces each (885Z. 8s. id.
and 1770Z. lGs. 8c?.). Slaves who possessed
a knowledge of any art which might bring
profit to their owners, also sold for a large
sum. Thus literary men and doctors fre-
quently fetched a high price, and also slaves
fitted for the stage.—Slaves were divided into
many various classes : the first division was
into public or private. The former belonged
to the state and public bodies, and their con-
dition was preferable to that of the common
slaves. They were less liable to be sold, and
under less control, than ordinary slaves :
they also possessed the privilege of the tes-
tamenti factio to the amount of one half of
their property, which shows that they were
regarded in a different light from other slaves.
Public slaves were employed to take care of
the public buildings, and to attend upon ma-
gistrates and priests. A body of slaves be-
longing to one person was called familia, but
two were not considered sufficient to consti-
tute a familia. Private slaves were divided
into urban (familia urbana) and rustic
(familia rustica) ; but the name of urban
was given to those slaves who served in the
villa or country residence as well as in the
town house ; so that the words urban and
rustic rather characterised the nature of their
occupations than the place where they served.
Slaves were also arranged in certain classes,
which held a higher or a lower rank accord-
ing to the nature of their occupation. These
classes are ordinarii, vulgares, and mediastini.
—Ordinarii seem to have been those slaves
who had the superintendence of certain parts of
the housekeeping. They were always chosen
from those who had the confidence of their
master, and they generally had certain slaves
under them. To this class the actores, pro-
curatores, and dispensatores belong, who
occur in the familia rustica as well as the
familia urbana, but in the former are almost
the same as the villici. They were stewards
or bailiffs. To the same class also belong the
slaves who had the charge of the different
stores, and who correspond to our house-
keepers and butlers : they are called cellarii,
promt, condi, procuratores peni, &c.— Yulyares
included the great body of slaves in a house
who had to attend to any particular duty in
the house, and to minister to the domestic
wants of their master. As there were dis-
tinct slaves or a distinct slave for alnost
every department of household economy, as
bakers (pistores), cooks (coqui), confectioners
[dulciarii], picklers (salmentarii), &c, it is
unnecessary to mention these more particu-
larly. This class also included the porters
(ostiarii), the bed-chamber slaves (cubicu-
larii), the litter-bearers (lecticarii), and all
personal attendants of any kind.—Medias-
tini, the name given to slaves used for any
common purpose, was chief!}' applied to cer-
tain slaves belonging to the familia rustica.
—The treatment of slaves of course varied
greatly, according to the disposition of their
masters, but they were upon the whole, as
has been already remarked, treated with
greater severity and cruelty than among the
Athenians. Originally the master could use
the slave as he pleased : under the republii