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SLAVERY FROM ANCIENT TO MODERN TIMES

SLAVERY FROM ANCIENT TO MODERN TIMES. Room 1. INTRODUCTION. « A nation which only requires its government to maintain order has already accepted the idea of slavery ; it is the slave of its own wealth and it breeds men in chains  » Tocqueville ( translated by the authors ).

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SLAVERY FROM ANCIENT TO MODERN TIMES

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  1. SLAVERY FROM ANCIENT TO MODERN TIMES Room 1

  2. INTRODUCTION « A nation whichonlyrequiresitsgovernment to maintainorder has alreadyaccepted the idea of slavery; itis the slave of itsownwealth and itbreeds men in chains » Tocqueville (translated by the authors). Eversince man began to live in society, some men have been rankedabove the others and a distinction has been establishedbetween the haves and the have-nots. Among the latter were slaves whosestatuswasdefined by laws.

  3. Slaveryis an ancient practice, commonboth in the Greek and the Roman empires. « Greek society wasmainlybroken up between free people and slaves, whowereowned by the free people ». We tend to admire Greek society and to considerit as a symbol of democracy. Nevertheless, lookingatthiscivilization, itseemsitis in man’s nature to submit the weak and the minorities. There werethreecategories of slaves: • THE WORKERS whoperformed the back-breaking and toilsometasks in the mines, in the quarries or in the fields. • THE SERVANTS whotook care of their masters’ houses and managed the estate. • THE SLAVES whosewellbeingdependedupontheirowner’s moral character. Some slaves weregladiators and wouldbeused for the public’spleasure. Thoughgladiatorscouldbecomefamous on account of theirstrength and stamina, theywerebound to die in appallingcircumstances.

  4. As William S. Davis indicates, the number of slaves in an averagehouseholdwasaround 10 or 20. Greek and Roman slaves were not allowed to getmarried and their life was hard. The economy of the country wasbaseduponslavery. The relation between a slave and his master dependedupon the owner’stemperament: some masters weretyranical, otherswererespectful. A slave had to cater for all the needs of his master and to accomplishhiswishes. In order to change their dire situations, some slaves protested or sparked rebellions. One of the mostfamousrebelis Spartacus. Hisnameisstillassociatedwithrevolutions. He isremembered as the man whothreatened the Roman Empire.

  5. Greekceramicsgive us an insight into the relationshipbetween a servant and his / her master.

  6. Somerepresentationsseem more violent thanothers. In some images, one cansee a slave beingflogged or whipped.

  7. The cruelty of slaverywasrepresented and imagined by severalOrientalistpainters, amongwhomis Jean-Léon Gerôme. His slave markets are not historicallyaccurate but reveal an imaginaryAntiquity or Eastern world.

  8. Rome continuedwhatGreecehadinvented and itseconomywasbaseduponslavery. Yet, Rome wasalso the theatre of slave rebellions, the mostfamous of whichwasled by Spartacus. In this sculpture hisstrength and muscular body, as well as hisdetermined gaze justifyhisstatus as a freedomfighter.

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