Roman Art from the Louvre Educators' Resource Guide

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edifices dedicated to the administration of justice and other general affairs;
curiae, where the senate assembled; and temples. Shops and markets were
interspersed among these public buildings and places of worship.
Non-Citizens—Foreigners, Slaves, and Freedmen
Roman law recognized three groups among the non-citizens who made up
the majority of the empire’s population. First, there were foreigners (called
peregrine). Originally understood as anyone who did not follow the Roman
way of life, foreigners included free men in conquered provinces. After citizenship
was granted to all freeborn persons in the empire in 212 A.D., the
label “foreigner” was no longer made used.
Then there were slaves, the vast labor force that was the backbone of the economy.
Generally acquired as spoils of war, slaves were ethnically and culturally
diverse. They and their families belonged to a public or private employer who
could sell or rent them out. Slaves were typically treated cruelly—they could be
killed by their master for any reason without legal consequence.
Slaves performed a variety of necessary services and were therefore crucial
to the economy of Rome. Some labored in municipal mines or on public
building projects, while others worked on farms owned by wealthy
patricians. In the city, a slave might be employed as a household servant,
a teacher for the master’s children, a craftsman, or even a doctor. Many
earned notoriety and fame as participants in popular forms of entertainment,
becoming gladiators, charioteers, or actors.
Though the daily existence of slaves was generally unpleasant, they were
no doubt motivated by the prospect of possible freedom. Some owners
freed their slaves as a benevolent gesture to their devoted servants; others
let their slaves go when they grew old and less useful. The act of manumission
liberated the slave and elevated his status to a freedman.
Finally, there were the freedmen, those who had been freed by their masters
and no longer had slave status. Because Roman law looked favorably
on those attempting to climb the social ladder, freedmen had the opportunity
to achieve a higher status in society. Many freedmen, however, found
it very difficult to overcome the stigma associated with slavery even after
they had achieved wealth and success.
Although they did not participate as political groups in the city’s life, foreigners,
slaves, and freedmen nevertheless played a significant role in the
cultural and economic life of Roman civilization.