|
|
JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "CL/HS 399"
COURSE NAME: "Special Topics in Classical Studies and History: Slavery in Ancient Rome"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2026
|
SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Massimo Betello
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Co-requisites: EN 110; Recommended: Junior Standing, One previous classical studies or history course
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment in person or on Microsoft Teams
|
|
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An in-depth treatment of a current area of special concern within the fields of Classical Studies and History, with an emphasis on research and writing. Topics may vary. May be taken more than once for credit with different topics. Topics taught in the past include Roman Africa, Ethnicity and Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean World, Ancient Imperialism: Persia, Athens, Rome, Classical Athens in the Age of Socrates, and Ancient Empires: Persia, Athens, and Macedonia.
May satisfy "Ancient" requirement, depending on topic
|
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course examines Roman slavery chronologically and thematically, through the study of archaeological evidence, textual sources, and literary works. It investigates how practices of and attitudes toward slavery developed, considering themes such as legal codifications, socio-economic roles, the lives of enslaved and freed individuals, violence, resistance, and how Roman slavery compared with slavery in other ancient societies. Current academic debates, such as those about slaves’ agency, economic impacts, and Rome's status as a "slave society," will also be discussed.
This course studies the development of slavery from debt bondage, exposure of infants, and sale of children during the Roman Monarchy and Early Republic, through the enslavement of prisoners of war during the Middle and Late Republic, to the management of public slaves and slave families in the Imperial era. Following this chronology, we will study the important themes of the legal codifications and socio-economic roles of slavery, the violence it involved and the forms of resistance it elicited, and the social and cultural experiences of slaves and freedmen. Special attention will be given to the agency of enslaved and freed people – how they navigated, negotiated, and manipulated their conditions, seeking to shape their own identities and social status within the constraints of Roman society. We will also focus on the violence inherent in the system of slavery, examining such archaeological evidence as the analysis of shackles found in Pompeii and the small rooms where slaves were likely confined. Specific examples, such as the uses of slaves as farmers, tutors, prostitutes, gladiators, technicians, clerks, and administrators, will be considered.
The overarching aim of the course is to provide students with a nuanced understanding of the dynamic nature of Roman slavery described in recent scholarship – of how it changed significantly in its composition, legal frameworks, and economic and social impacts over the course of more than a thousand years of Roman history. We will address four main questions in particular: (1) What were the economic impacts of slaves and freed people on the Roman world?; (2) How did the legal framework surrounding Roman slavery evolve over time?; (3) In which ways did social attitudes towards slaves change through Roman history?; and (4) How did the roles and agency of enslaved and freed individuals vary across different periods, including the socio-economic trajectories of freedmen and freedwomen and the status and integration of their first-generation descendants?
The course will draw upon a variety of sources, including archaeological evidence, textual sources, and literary works. For example, students will read (in translation) relevant sections from Plautus’s comedies, Cato’s De Agri Cultura, Varro’s De Re Rustica, Columella’s De Re Rustica, Petronius’s Satyricon, Seneca’s Letters, Apuleius’s The Golden Ass, and The Digest. Funerary epigraphs will also be used to deduce origins, life, and social relationships of manumitted people and their children.
|
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course students will be able to:
• Recall the core aspects of slavery, enslavement, and manumission in the Roman world across its historical trajectory, including key legal frameworks and methods of slave procurement.
• Summarize current academic debates surrounding Roman slavery, such as its economic impact, social significance, and slaves’ agency.
• Interpret archaeological evidence (e.g., bondage tools, human remains) to understand the lived experiences of enslaved individuals.
• Analyze the roles of enslaved individuals, freedpeople, and their descendants in Roman economic and social structures, while also identifying instances of agency and resistance.
• Analyze the complex interplay of power, inequality, and violence (physical, sexual, psychological) in the Roman system of slavery.
• Evaluate primary and secondary sources, including both textual and material evidence, relevant to the study of Roman slavery, by assessing the limitations and biases inherent in these historical sources and their interpretations.
• Communicate historical knowledge effectively and formulate analytical arguments based on evidence, through written documents and oral presentations.
|
TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Ancient Greek and Roman Slavery | Hunt, Peter | John Wiley & Sons, 2017 | 9781119421054 | EBOOK available from JCU library | EBOOK available from JCU library | Ebook | | |
| Slavery in the Roman World | Joshel, Sandra R | Cambridge University Press, 2013 | 9780521535014 | HT863 .B35 2004 | | Hard Copy | | |
| The material life of Roman slaves | Joshel and Hackworth Petersen | Cambridge University Press, 2015. | 9780521139571 | | | Hard Copy | | |
| Free at Last!: The Impact of Freed Slaves on the Roman Empir | Sinclair, and Ramsby (eds) | Bristol Classical Press, 2012 | 9781472502957 | EBOOK available from JCU library | EBOOK available from JCU library | Ebook | | |
| Roman inequality: affluent slaves, businesswomen, legal fictions | Edward E. Cohen | Oxford University Press, 2023. | 9780197687345 | HN10.R7 C64 2023 | | Hard Copy | | |
|
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments |
| Greek Slave Systems in their Eastern Mediterranean Context, c.800-146 BC | Lewis David M. | Oxford University Press (2018) | 9780191082610 | HT 863. L49 2018 | |
| Intellectual Property : Learned Slaves And Educated Freedmen In Republican Rome. | Harriet Flower | Princeton University Pres, 2025. | 9780691266169 | | To be published in Oct 2025 |
| Historicising ancient slavery | Vlassopoulos, Costas | Edinburgh University Press, 2021 | 9781474487238 | EBOOK available from JCU library | |
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
|
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| | | |
| Reading and Writing Logs | The course level demands students to carefully think about the assigned materials before the beginning of class. To this end, students will write a “writing log” for each assigned material: either a “map log”, or a “summary log”, or a “3 quotes, one outline, one question”. Randomly, roughly every two weeks, students will be asked to submit these “writing logs” for grading.
More details about these types of logs will be published on Moodle. The late submission policy applies. | 10 |
| Presentation | Each student will present and discuss one of the topics of the semester. The student will be responsible for presenting the materials in a clear and comprehensive manner.
Presentation guidelines will be available on Moodle. Presentations will start from week 05.
Deadline for the selection of the topic: see schedule.
The late submission policy does not apply. | 15 |
| Midterm exam | Taken during class time in the classroom.
The topics tested will be those of the first half of the semester.
It will be made up by two parts:
● one tests the student’s factual knowledge (events, date, people etc) using identifications, multiple choices, true-false, etc.;
● the other tests the student’s understanding and knowledge of the concepts explained in class using open questions, essays etc.
More specific details will be given during the semester.
The late submission policy does not apply. | 20 |
| Final Exam | Date: TBA
Taken during class time in the classroom.
The topics tested will be those of the second half of the semester only. The final exam is not cumulative.
The format will follow that of the midterm exam.
More specific details will be given during the semester.
The late submission policy does not apply. | 25 |
| Final Paper | Each student will write an final paper about one aspect of the topics that are part of this course. The paper requires research beyond the assigned materials.
Only three types of papers are accepted in this course: argumentative, analytical, or research paper (see PDF on Moodle for their description). Compare and contrast papers are not accepted.
● By the end of week 08 the students will submit a title and a research question with a bibliography (minimum 5 sources)
● At the end of week 10 the students will submit a draft (title, topic analyzed, general plan, preliminary results – ca 500-600 words) which will count for a 5% of the Final Grade
● At the end of week 13, the students will submit the Final Paper (15 % of the Final Grade) of 2500-3000 word | 20 |
| Class Participation | Succeeding in this course means not only reading and thinking on your own, but also engaging in an exchange of evaluations and ideas with the other students and the instructor. Participation will be evaluated during every class. Students are expected to show that they can engage in productive discussions based on the assigned materials. The studying of extra materials not assigned by the instructor will suggest a high level of participation. The late submission polity does not apply. | 10 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
|
|
|
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
|
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
|
|
|
SCHEDULE
|
|
|
Week 01: Introduction to the course. Preliminary discussion about Roman Slavery and Enslavement.
Week 02: Critical introduction to the main types of sources (literary, legal, epigraphic, visual, archaeological).
Week 03: The Archaic and the Early Republican Periods: Origins and Early Forms of Slavery
Week 04: the Middle and Late Republic: the wars of the expansions slave markets
Week 05 Legal changes to Slavery and Enslavement during the Republic
Week 06: Resistance and rebellion: Slave revolts in the Republic (e.g., the Servile Wars); Legal responses to slave unrest
Week 07: Slavery in the Early Empire and Middle (enslavement and laws)
Week 08: Imperial economy and Slavery
Week 09: The Threat of Violence: Physical, Sexual, and Psychological Abuse
Week 10: Manumission and the Freed Slaves. Their obligations to the patron: legal, epigraphic, and literary evidence
Week 11: The Children of Freed People: trying to be accepted as a Roman Citizens
Week 12: Pompeii, as an archaeological case study for the lives of slaves, freed people, and their children.
Week 13: Changes in Slavery in the Late Empire
Week 14: Conclusions and review
|
|
|