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At its peak during the
Roman Empire it is estimate that slaves outnumbered citizens
5 to 3.
Slave Auction
The sheer degradation
suffered by the men, women and children who were treated as
other goods and wares sold and bought by Romans cannot be
even imagined by modern civilised people. Romans were a
pitiless people and slavery was big business, in fact the
majority of the economy was based on the slave trade. The
Romans who attended a slave auction would inspect the slaves
as we would inspect a used car at a modern auction. And just
like a used car, purchased from a car auction, you could get
rid of it when it became too old to be of any further use.
Slaves like cars, came with guarantees. If the slave had
defects not shown in his or her guarantee, the dealer had to
take the slave back in six months or make good the buyer's
loss.
Dealers
at the Slave Auction
The slave auction in Rome
was located near the forum. It was a market situated in the
area called the Graecostadium behind the Basilica Julia in
the Roman Forum. The Slave Traders who plied their trade in
the slave auction were called Venalitii. The rich men who
invested in slaves had a high social standing but the actual
Roman slave traders, the Venalitti, were viewed with
some distrust, even likened to pimps. As their integrity and
honesty was often questioned the traders at the auctions had
to guarantee that the slaves they were selling were sound
and that any faults were pointed out. Slaves were therefore
commonly exposed for sale naked. The traders were under the
supervision of the
Aediles
who ensured that their wares were sold publicly and fairly.
Slaves of great beauty and rarity were not exhibited to
public gaze in the common slave market, but were shown to
purchasers in private (arcana tabulata catastae). If the slave had defects not shown in his guarantee, the
dealer had to take him back in six months or make good the
buyer's loss.
Preparing for the Slave Auction
The Slave traders would
prepare their 'goods' for the slave auction in Rome. The
potential price for every slave would be assessed prior to
the start of the auction. Often the slaves would come from
different nationalities so there would be a language
problem. Imported Slaves from Roman provinces were put on
display with one foot whitened with chalk as Roman law
demanded that dealers disclosed the ethnic origin (natio) of
the slaves they were selling. Discipline was tightly
enforced. Slaves were held in wooden pens or iron cages. The
lash of the whip was threatened, and applied, to keep the
slaves in order. Roman law demanded that slave dealers
disclosed the ethnic origin (natio) of the slaves they were
selling and to make clear if there were any defects. The
bodies of the slaves were fully inspected and their teeth were
examined. Plaques or placards (tituli) were prepared to hang
from the necks of the slaves for sale detailing their
nationality, origin, abilities, their good and their bad
points. The traders decided in which order the slaves would
be shown at auction. The Aediles would decide where and when
the auction would take place.
What
happened at a Roman Slave Auction?
The slave auction would
display groups of slaves to be sold. The auction was
conducted the same way as other goods and wares. The traders
would emphasize the features and benefits and any unique
selling points at the auction. Every one might see and
handle them, even if they did not wish to purchase them.
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Slaves were displayed to
their best advantage on platforms or revolving stands
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Some were strippednaked so
the buyers could see exactly what they were purchasing
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Potential buyers could
demand that slaves who were clothed were stripped in order that a
closer inspection of the 'good's could be made
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Thosebrought from abroad
were put on display with one foot whitened with chalk
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Each slave had a placard (tituli)
around his neck describing his details
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If a dealer was unable to
offer any guarantees about the slave's abilities or attitude then
the slave was made to wear a special cap called a pillei on his head
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The body of the slave was discussed and inspected
at the request of the buyer
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A buyer could examine which part of the body he
wanted
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The auction would commence and the slave was sold
to the highest bidder
The prices paid a
slave auction varied considerably according to the age,
skills and qualities of the slave who was being auctioned.
Slaves with valued skills or education were priced about 12
times more than slaves without skills. Female slaves, unless
possessed of personal attractions, were generally cheaper
than male. Romans liked novelty,
so deformed slaves, such as dwarfs, or the mentally
handicapped brought good prices.
Slave Auction - Prisoners
of War
The most common type of
'goods for sale' at a slave auction were men who had been
captured as prisoners of war. In 168BC Aemilius Paulus, the
victor of the Battle of Pydna in Greece is said to have
taken the profit from selling 150,000 Greeks to Rome. The
turnover at the slave auction in Rome must have been massive
at this time. This type of slave was purchased at the slave
auction to work on farms, in industries or as laborers
working on public works e.g. building bridges, sewers etc.
The fittest might be chosen at auction to be sent to the
Gladiator
schools. |
