Slaves in ancient Rome, like in the rest ofthe ancient world, were primarily enslaved war captives. WhenRome’s wars of expansion ended, the supply of new slaves swindled.The majority of slaves worked in the fields of the large landedestates. Many worked in the households of the rich. Miners wereslaves because in those days mining was like a death sentence. Someslaves worked in mills and bakeries and some worked for the stateas archivists or petty bureaucrats. The economy of the Roman Empirewas not necessarily a slave economy. Slave labour was concentratedin Italy and in the Roman province of Africa (Tunisia and westernLibya). In most parts of the empire there were no or few slaves.Tenant farmers and agricultural labourers were common sources oflabour for the landed estates.
With the economic crisis of the periodhistorians call the Crisis of the Third Century, many urban peopleand tenant farmers moved to the large landed estates. The urbaneconomy suffered due to the devastations of war (there were manycivil wars and repelled invasions of the empire), hyperinflationand a collapse in trade, leading to urban-rural migration invarious areas of the empire. The small farmers left their farmsbecause of the ravages of wars in the areas affected by thementioned conflicts and/or to escape the burden of heavy taxation.Funding a large army and paying its soldiers and officers was aheavy drain on the coffers of the state, which was continuouslystruggling to raise enough revenue. With the economic downturn andthe decrease in circulating coins due to hyperinflation, taxcollection became extremely difficult and the emperor Diocletianresorted to force the tax collectors to pay for their shortfallform their own pockets and to collect taxes in the form ofconfiscations of goods.
Diocletian doubled the size of the imperialbureaucracy, which was an added burden for the coffers of thestate. He also issued a decree which tied urban workers to theirprofessions and tenant farmers to the landed estates of theirlandlords. This was to control occupational and geographicalmobility and to ensure efficient tax collection. In exchange forthe economic benefits of tying labour to their land, the landlordsfacilitated tax collection among their tenant farmers. Thus, theeconomic crisis led to the creation of servile labour, which was aprecursor of the later medieval serfdom. After this crisis theRoman economy recovered. However, servile labour remained andseveral emperors issued edicts on servile labour in the period ofthe Later Empire.
Servile labour did not become the mainstay ofthe rural economy throughout the Roman Empire. It was mostprevalent in the areas which suffered from the devastations of war.In the areas which had not been affected by this the hiringseasonal agricultural labourers was widespread. The raids of theFranks and Alemanni into northern Gaul in the fourth centurydestroyed the rural economy of this area and caused many farmers togo to the landed estates and become servile farmers.
When the Romans defeated an invasion of Italyby some Germanic peoples in 405, the slave market of Rome wasflooded with slaves and briefly collapsed. This did not greatlyimpact the economy of the empire because it fell into chaos andstated to crumble following the invasions by other Germanic peopleswhich started the next year.
With the economic crisis of the periodhistorians call the Crisis of the Third Century, many urban peopleand tenant farmers moved to the large landed estates. The urbaneconomy suffered due to the devastations of war (there were manycivil wars and repelled invasions of the empire), hyperinflationand a collapse in trade, leading to urban-rural migration invarious areas of the empire. The small farmers left their farmsbecause of the ravages of wars in the areas affected by thementioned conflicts and/or to escape the burden of heavy taxation.Funding a large army and paying its soldiers and officers was aheavy drain on the coffers of the state, which was continuouslystruggling to raise enough revenue. With the economic downturn andthe decrease in circulating coins due to hyperinflation, taxcollection became extremely difficult and the emperor Diocletianresorted to force the tax collectors to pay for their shortfallform their own pockets and to collect taxes in the form ofconfiscations of goods.
Diocletian doubled the size of the imperialbureaucracy, which was an added burden for the coffers of thestate. He also issued a decree which tied urban workers to theirprofessions and tenant farmers to the landed estates of theirlandlords. This was to control occupational and geographicalmobility and to ensure efficient tax collection. In exchange forthe economic benefits of tying labour to their land, the landlordsfacilitated tax collection among their tenant farmers. Thus, theeconomic crisis led to the creation of servile labour, which was aprecursor of the later medieval serfdom. After this crisis theRoman economy recovered. However, servile labour remained andseveral emperors issued edicts on servile labour in the period ofthe Later Empire.
Servile labour did not become the mainstay ofthe rural economy throughout the Roman Empire. It was mostprevalent in the areas which suffered from the devastations of war.In the areas which had not been affected by this the hiringseasonal agricultural labourers was widespread. The raids of theFranks and Alemanni into northern Gaul in the fourth centurydestroyed the rural economy of this area and caused many farmers togo to the landed estates and become servile farmers.
When the Romans defeated an invasion of Italyby some Germanic peoples in 405, the slave market of Rome wasflooded with slaves and briefly collapsed. This did not greatlyimpact the economy of the empire because it fell into chaos andstated to crumble following the invasions by other Germanic peopleswhich started the next year.
