As I awoke from my restful slumber, I had an overwhelming feeling of joy. I was very excited. Today, father promised I could go around the forum, where the best shops are. It has been awhile since I walked around and see Rome. Agatha and 4 other servants would be accompanying me. Sometimes I find it a little uncomfortable to be walking around with a servants and guards around me. I feel concious of my looks and surrounding as everyone would be staring at me. I had often wondered what it would be like for a normal Roman citizen. I reckon they would be freer and would have more fun. It gets pretty lonely for me, I have no siblings and father and mother have not much time to spend walking around the forum all afternoon. Agatha is the foreman of the servants that serves me. There are around 12 slaves that she leads. She has been wonderful to me since I was born. She would tell me stories of her childhood and the country she was from, her family, and how she entertains herself. She would also comfort me when I am sad or when I get scared.
Agatha is a 45 year old woman from Asia Minor (Turkey). She was brought here as a slave when she was just 12. A provincial tax-collector named Hamed, acted as a supplier of slaves from the provinces had transported her and a group of 10,000 other slaves to the provincial slave market where they were bought by wholesale buyers who had shipped her to Rome. She said she would never forget the day she left her country. It was her worst nightmare come to live. She never saw her mother since and she accepted that. She said, they would see each other again in heaven so, she doesn’t feel so sad anymore.
She said she was very thankful to have been purchased by my father. He had always treated her well. At least, he acknowledges the fact that she was human and had always been fair with her. She was also thankful that father and mother were very kind to her husband and 2 children. They are all slaves in my household, even the children. Agatha told me that a marriage between 2 slaves were not legalize at first but not long after they were married, the office announced that the contubernium (slaves marital union) became legal and no masters were to sell any partners of the contubernium separately. So, she is very thankful that she would never be separated from her family, again. And even though her children were made slaves of my father too, she one day hopes to buy them their freedom. My father, like most Roman masters allow their slaves to earn money (peculium) of their own. This is done by selling wares of providing any particular service. Agatha and her family hope that one day they could be free and acquire full citizenship. And though they may not be able to join the public office, they hope to make a living like every other Roman.
She said to me once, that maybe her mother has always been looking over her. She had been lucky to serve the imperial household and kind masters such as my father and mother. She had seen worse masters that treated their slaves like animals or property. Punishments towards the slaves were merciless. Hard labour, whippings, branding, breaking of the joints or bones, branding of the forehead with letters denoting the slave as a runaway, liar or thief (FUG, KAL, FUR) and crucifixion were all punishments which were inflicted upon slaves. So too, being thrown to the wild beasts in the circuses or even being burnt alive in a cloak soaked in pitch.
Many gruesome tales of torture inflicted on slaves were told. And my sweet Agatha would only have stories of kindness and loyalty to tell.
Sources:
http://www.roman-empire.net/society/society.html
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture13b.html
http://www.worldhistoryblog.com/…/slavery-in-roman-empire.html
http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-slavery.php
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