After the victories against Carthage in Punic Wars (264-146 a. C.), there was a big roman expansion in the region of Mediterranean Sea and on the European continent, causing Rome to create the greatest empire that had ever existed in all of antiquity. Within five centuries, Rome had extended its domains in Europe, North Africa and Asia.
However, the Roman expansion generated internal changes in the organization of society. Before the intensification of territorial expansion, much of the agricultural work in Rome was carried out by free men, mostly peasants. But as the expansionist process required an ever-increasing army, soldiers were recruited from among the peasants, leaving the land with little manpower to work it.
On the other hand, the conquests of new territories resulted in the enslavement of the peoples who inhabited these places. Slaves were used mainly in agricultural work and in mines, but also in activities in the cities, such as crafts and trade.
These conquests also resulted in an increase in the amount of land that belonged to large landowners, who needed an increasing number of slaves. to work in them, because in addition to increasing their size, the number of free people available for work decreased, as they were recruited for the army.
With this process, Roman slavery became the base of support of the society that had originated in the Italian Peninsula. Slaves were mainly used in mining and agriculture, but there were also slaves who they achieved great prestige among the patricians (the ruling class in Rome), working as doctors or architects, for example.
Although there were free people working in the fields of the Roman territories, a large part of the population went to the cities, especially after participating in the wars. During military campaigns, small landowners lost their land to large landowners, resulting in an increase in the number of inhabitants in urban areas. In cities, living conditions were terrible for the vast majority of people, as they lived crowded together in poor neighborhoods, without hygiene and health conditions, generating epidemics and violence.
The life of slaves in the mines and in the fields was also not the best, long working hours, physical punishment and other punishments were constant practices. However, at times, the slaves rebelled against this situation. One of the rebellions took place in Sicily, an island south of the Italian Peninsula. Between 136 and 132 a. a., the slaves rebelled, took a city and proclaimed as their king a slave named Me at, but were defeated by troops of the Roman army.
Statue of Spartacus, leader of the slave rebellion named after him. *
The most famous of the slave revolts took place under the leadership of the gladiator slave Spartacus. Occurred in the Italian Peninsula, the Spartacus revolt gathered about 90 thousand people, between 73 and 71 a. Ç.. At many times, Roman troops were defeated by slaves who intended to leave the peninsula. However, after a betrayal, Spartacus and the other slaves were defeated by the Roman army, which executed and punished most of the participants.
Despite reaching us today an impression of exuberance and beauty of the Roman civilization, its construction took place through the enslavement of the peoples who were conquered.
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* Image Credit: pseudolong and Shutterstock.com
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