As a history department student, I used to know that slaves in the empireof Rome would separate into many levelness and jobs. Something such as Greeks to be teachers and barbarians to be workers of every aspects. However, I would never think about that I gain the knowledge the knowledge of slaves in Rome in Latin language class, rather than in history class. It tells me the exactitude that the difference of a slave can be, by working in domestic, in farm, in mill, and the worst, in mine. Meanwhile, it also let me get the sense about the situation of “britianin” from B.C1, which we could gain some useful informations from the imported slave abroad, which meant people in “Britanin” also agree that the culture of Rome is superior than themselves. ( religion excluded perhaps ) In one word, I am glad to know such a real example of the slavery of ancient England in the early Rome.

However, I soon come to some questions about slavery in Rome after knowing in detail. “Ws it good for a person to be a slave in Rome rather than the places ruling by other races?” and “where was the sources that the law of Rome appeared scuh an idea which would like to give the lowest protection to slaves?” To solve these two questions, I knew that the way Rome “producing” their slaves was the same as other race, which contained crimals, powpow, and something like that. It made no diffenerces bewteen Rome and other race that it was a painful life to be a slave till death coming as usual. However, the slaves in Rome were protected by law in some aspects but slaves in other places were not, such as Britanin or the empire of Chinese in early history, though it was in theory but often ignored in reality. But! What made the issue most meaningful to be inquery is that the reason why Rome was better in handling the slave affairs in their empire than other races. Then I come to the later question above.

In fact, I am wondering that there was no such a part in the law of Rome at the very beginning, at the time Romans owned many slaves, because the more slaves they got, the price in slave trade would be lower, and they would have no chances to come to an idea of cherishing the lives of slaves if they killed one or two among hundreds in a circumstance full of slaves. Moreover, there would be no way that the empire of Rome was the same as America today, where its people put emphasis on nature right. I see no motives that Romans should treat slaves well beside the larbors broke off and trade price ran higher and higher. Therefore, it can only be a possilbe reason to explain this, which would be the law of Rome changed many times in Rome history.

The way that Rome protected the slave might link to their great power of empire, for the slaves of every kind providing their energy to empire till the coming of death, which gave backup to Rome legion to enlarge the land of empire. It was obviously that the ruler of Rome knew for sure that these relationships, and that is the exact reason why Rome put their law only to protect the life of slaves, not to dignity, treatments or something further.

Compared to slavery of empire of Rome, I am much more dislike in the slavery of Europe-America-africa in 16~18 century, which captialism came in human mind. It showed that the life of slave was nothing more than produce and reproduce for the profit accumulation, though it was also a saying in Rome “slave is only a equipment of farming affairs.” However, it is more humanized to me that to be a slave in the empire of ancient Rome rather than in the cutton farm of south america in 18 century.

There will be slavery in the human world still, whatever the form is. And hope that slavery exists though, it will never fall into the mistkes happened in the past.