How vital were enslaved people to Roman elite society?
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In his Epigrams 11.39, Martial seems to be chastising his ex-slave Charidemus for fussing over him too much now that he is no longer a child and has become a man. This illustrates how involved Charidemus would have been in the childhood and upbringing of Martial. He begins with explaining to Charidemus, ‘You rocked my cradle, Charidemus, you were my guardian in my boyhood and constant companion’. The raising and educating of children for imperial families would have been much more difficult and time consuming would it not have been for the help of enslaved people and ex-enslaved people and that is the first reason I believe that the elite society would not function without enslaved people. Even though Martial is chastising Charidemus for being overbearing and over protective of him as an adult, he firstly acknowledges that his childhood would have lacked without his slave-companion.
How vital were enslaved people to Roman elite society?
How vital were enslaved people to Roman elite…
How vital were enslaved people to Roman elite society?
In his Epigrams 11.39, Martial seems to be chastising his ex-slave Charidemus for fussing over him too much now that he is no longer a child and has become a man. This illustrates how involved Charidemus would have been in the childhood and upbringing of Martial. He begins with explaining to Charidemus, ‘You rocked my cradle, Charidemus, you were my guardian in my boyhood and constant companion’. The raising and educating of children for imperial families would have been much more difficult and time consuming would it not have been for the help of enslaved people and ex-enslaved people and that is the first reason I believe that the elite society would not function without enslaved people. Even though Martial is chastising Charidemus for being overbearing and over protective of him as an adult, he firstly acknowledges that his childhood would have lacked without his slave-companion.