Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275–425

by Kyle Harper

Capitalizing on the rich historical record of late antiquity, and employing sophisticated methodologies from social and economic history, this book reinterprets the end of Roman slavery. Kyle Harper challenges traditional interpretations of a transition from antiquity to the Middle Ages, arguing instead that a deep divide runs through 'late antiquity', separating the Roman slave system from its early medieval successors. In the process, he covers the economic, social and institutional dimensions of ancient slavery and presents the most comprehensive analytical treatment of a pre-modern slave system now available. By scouring the late antique record, he has uncovered a wealth of new material, providing fresh insights into the ancient slave system, including slavery's role in agriculture and textile production, its relation to sexual exploitation, and the dynamics of social honor. By demonstrating the vitality of slavery into the fourth century, the author shows that Christianity triumphed amidst a genuine slave society.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Classics

626 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 2011

About the author

Professor of Classics and Letters and Senior Vice President and Provost at the University of Oklahoma. His research topics are the social and economic history of the Roman Empire and the early middle ages, and the environmental and population history of the first millennium, exploring the impact of climate change and disease on the history of civilization.

from http://www.ou.edu/flourish/about/team...

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a survey of the institution of slavery in the later Roman Empire, after the crisis of the third century AD. However, in spite of focusing on the later centuries of the Roman Empire, many of the features of Roman slavery which Harper describes apply to the early Empire and the Republic as well, making this a convenient introduction to Roman slavery in general. In fact, it is with these later centuries that perennial aspects of slavery which were probably utterly normal to the Romans, such as sexual abuse, were more clearly documented in writing, because now Christianity had arisen and challenged some features of the institution. We also know more about the economics of slave-trading thanks to papyri finds.

In choosing to focus on the later centuries, Harper wished to argue against a view of the decline of slavery that had gained popularity in preceding decades. Slavery, Harper’s opponents argued, declined because slaves were increasingly bound to the land through legislation and ultimately slavery simply evolved into the institution of serfdom. Harper argues instead that slavery was part and parcel of the Roman Empire’s economy, and as the economy waned, so did the institution of slavery.

Harper has become a popular authority on the Roman Empire, his The Fate of Rome_ Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire was written for a general audience, not academics or Roman history anoraks. While Slavery in the Late Roman World originally stemmed from Harper’s doctoral thesis and is somewhat more scholarly in tone, I think it would be suitable for a fairly wide readership. All quotations from the ancient sources are presented in translation, with the original text provided only in a footnote.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense but Delightful

The beginning was a bit economic, but it was ultimately a strong background for one of the most informative books on the subject that I've found.

[Kara Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

boring