Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman World

by Emma Southon

We associate the Romans with majesty and we marvel at their innovative aqueducts and underfloor heating, at the dominance of their army and navy, at the grandeur of their palaces and temples and the magic of the tiny coins and mosaic tiles we dig up in fields. But the Romans were also enslavers. They built an empire on the backs of millions of people snatched from their homes in the aftermath of war, kidnapped from the streets, sold into slavery as punishment or, simply, born enslaved.

Servus takes us into the invisible spaces of Rome, where millions of enslaved lives were unwillingly dedicated to the perpetuation of the empire that owned them. From the fields of wheat required to give every Roman his daily bread, to the actors and gladiators who provided their circuses, and the miners who kept Rome a city of gold and marble, enslaved people held up the empire in all its glory. These enslaved people were ubiquitous, but silenced. Through the fragments they left behind, historian Emma Southon traces the pain and tragedy of their lives alongside the love stories, lifelong friendships, small victories and hard-won freedoms.

Servus tells the truth about the Roman empire and the unseen lives that made its history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Roman History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 21, 2026

About the author

Dr. Emma Southon holds a PhD in ancient history from the University of Birmingham.
After a few years teaching Ancient and Medieval history, followed by some years teaching academic writing, she quit academia because it is grim and started writing for her own enjoyment.
She co-hosts a history/comedy podcast with Janina Matthewson called History is Sexy.

Reviews

[Mergulum · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book which is replete with details and insights on the practice of slavery in the Roman Empire. This despite the relative dearth of evidence from the victims of slavery themselves (which is a well established challenge faced by historians). So any reader with little or no knowledge of the subject will find the book enlightening. My principal difficulty with the book was the authorial tone which throughout was foul mouthed, sarcastic, sneering, smug and overly idiomatic (sometimes resulting in my utter incomprehension of what the author was trying to say).
Initially the author tells us how she thinks slavery was really bad and everyone who practiced it was totally evil. There is a longstanding debate on whether it is appropriate to apply contemporary morals and judgements to ancient societies. This author clearly thinks that it is appropriate and it’s completely within her rights for her to hold that view. But I really couldn’t understand why, throughout the book, she constantly needed to say how each aspect or example or experience of slavery was so appalling and totally shocking to her.

She is also someone who loves to express her outrage through foul language which also peppers this book. I don’t know all the rules of the various sites where I am posting this review so I won’t quote any of the swearing here but suffice it to say that like many foul mouthed people this author doesn’t have a very broad swearing vocabulary so there is one swearword that turns up for the vast majority of time so the reader doesn’t even have the relief of variety.
Diverse sources are cited in the book and the author appears to give them equal weight. Again I know that there is debate as to whether, for example, Martial’s satires provide totally accurate descriptions of daily life. Clearly the contemporary Roman audience would need to recognise the world portrayed in these works but given that they were produced for entertainment, would there not have been some exaggeration for effect? So some assessment of the relative validity of these sources would have been helpful.
Of course the author does make clear her contempt for Martial (and Juvenal and others) because they make jokes about slavery that she thinks are not funny at all. I have some sympathy with that perspective having read some Classical comedies and - quite frankly - not realising that they were even supposed to be funny. But I think it’s a bit rich for this author to criticise the ancients when her sense of humour is essentially puerile: graffiti about someone excreting is, she thinks, funny; Clutorius Priscus is a funny name because Clutorius sounds a bit like clitoris; and the Lex Fufia Canina is a funny law because it sounds a bit like a swearword. How I laughed. Not.
I also found much of her idiomatic mode of expression rather jarring. Agrippa was Augustus’ “bestie”. Polybius thought that the Romans were a “great bunch of lads”. I was confused by how she was able to “go by vibes” to work out the modern values of Roman currency. And as for Onesimus whose being a slave didn’t seem to “have harshed his vibe”. Well I have no idea on what that means.
Now I suspect that that there may well be an audience that finds this authorial tone to be refreshingly different and to them I’d have no hesitation in recommending this book. But if you are someone who maybe thought that plentiful swearing was big and clever when you were seven but you’ve now got over that, you’ll probably want to skip it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this review copy.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Interesting.

[Lottie Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much for the proof copy!

This book is absolutely great! It’s a perfect handbook to the world of Roman slavery, from sex slaves to slaves working in mines to gladiators. Emma Southon fills the book with examples from written sources that truly paints the picture of the world of slavery.

If you enjoy reading about Roman history then this book is a must!

[Charlotte reads history · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know a book has got you when you keep lifting your head to say “guess what” to whoever’s nearest. Emma Southon’s Servus did that to me on almost every page.

Southon’s voice is emblematic of a new wave of non-fiction - a ditching of dry academic tone in favour of a book that feels like a chat with your favourite cool lecturer - opinions, side eye and swear words included - but still totally bursting with primary sources and serious research.

Southon’s dedication to finding the lost voices in history has resulted in the exploration of a fascinating array of sources that not only touch on what slavery was in Ancient Rome but also the thoughts, feelings and experiences of enslaved people wherever possible.

Take Amica and Detfri - two enslaved women in a household tasked with making clay roof tiles, who had imprinted their feet into the wet clay and signed the tile with their names and where they came from just for their own amusement and sense of self.

This book is a must for more fully understanding Roman society & culture, and bringing to life the people who made it possible for Roman civilisation to be so “great”.

Thanks to @hodderpress and @emmasouthon for a #gifted advanced copy of Servus for review, which is out now!

Are you a fan of this new wave of accessible, opinionated popular history? Who are your favourite writers doing it well?

[Keyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been meaning to read an Emma Southon book for a long, long while. I'm glad I finally did! She brings a really refreshing voice to the table, she's very easy to follow, and makes for a great introduction to Ancient Roman topics, especially one as engrained into Ancient Rome and yet rarely talked about with enough weight: slavery.

A lot of people will percieve Roman slavery as "not that bad", in part because the accounts of enslaved people we have are of educated ones who were able to crawl up to the ranks of freedmen. But Servus outlines various ways in which Roman slavery was worse than we thought — of people stratified by sex and class and age, who experienced entire lifes that were so different from each other. It was really fascinating to read about how the enslaved experience wasn't a monolith, but all had their bodily autonomy stripped from them. This book captured the magnitude of slavery, how it was so tied with the economy that Ancient Romans thought it as so normal of a fact of life. At the same time, it showed how humans still aimed to live full lives with the humanity that they did have, having marriages and children and friends and finding humour and even going out drinking.

This book seems intended to be pop history with the tone employed, so anyone looking for a "serious" "academic" text should be warned of that. I personally enjoyed her style, and feel like it'd make it easier for me to recommend her books to friends who are not as invested in Ancient Rome as they'd be more likely to read through it.

So much of history writing is about "Great Men" (and Rich Women). Ancient Rome would be empty without its enslaved population, and I do feel like I have a better sense of that world after reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What did the Romans ever do for us?" eh. Well unfortunately they took plenty of slaves from throughout the empire & this book gives a voice to the marginalised who rarely feature in the official Roman histories. As there is precious little evidence left from those enslaved by the Romans, the experiences of some of those sold into the Transatlantic slave trade are used as a comparison to give some idea of how they may have felt.

From those taken as war booty, sold into slavery as punishment, or those who were born into slavery, & from the uprisings (including the most famous one led by Spartacus) to those who kept their heads down & tried to earn their freedom, Southon shows just how much the entire structure of Roman society depended on these people being kept in their place. It does also point out how those slaves could occasionally get their own small 'wins'.

From farm workers to those running street-side eateries (thermopolia), from gladiators to sex workers, from the lowest mill worker to the slaves of the Emperor himself, "millions of enslaved lives were unwillingly dedicated to the perpetuation of the empire that owned them". The Romans became the masters of 'divide & conquer' by fostering a sense of competition & hierarchy even amongst the enslaved & whilst many were kept in place by fear of punishment, others with more perks & the opportunity to earn manumission (freedom) looked down on those who were unable to do so.

This is extremely well written in a style that is packed with information but because of the way its written, it isn't a slog to get through. I will warn you now that the tone & dryly irreverent humour is possibly an acquired taste along with the strong language, but I absolutely loved it. It's a book I will probably re-read at some point.

SUMMARY:
Research: Excellent - Packed with information but because of the way its written, it isn’t a slog to get through.
Writing Style: Excellent - Tone & humour is probably an acquired taste, but I loved it.
Enjoyment Level: High - Absolutely loved reading this. If you don’t mind dryly irreverent humour & strong language, then give this a try.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

[BonniePB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to read an Emma Southon book, so this has been a great opportunity to find my new favorite history author. I was on a five-hour plane ride and ate this book the entire time, it was that engrossing.

Not Built in a Day is informative, extremely well organized, and written in an accessible manner; it feels a bit like Southon is having a conversation with you. While the book can certainly be difficult to read at times, Southon finds time to poke at Roman enslavers and sneak in other moments of levity to balance out the bleakness of history. Even so, I appreciated that Southon didn’t sugarcoat or downplay anything. Her straightforward honesty on the uncomfortable and horrific topic of slavery in ancient Rome is effective at combating the problematically perpetual concept that Roman slavery “wasn’t so bad”.

There's obviously not much information from the enslaved themselves—any source that might have been written by them simply doesn't exist or survive. Still, Southon manages to bring these voices forward into the spotlight to share their perspectives and lives. She has written an empowering book about the millions of people across hundreds of years who never escaped their enslavement in a brutal society because they had no chance of it to begin with.

I highly recommend Not Built in a Day, and I will definitely be checking out Southon’s previous books centered on Roman topics.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC via NetGalley.

[Emily]

Copied received from NetGalley

Servus by Emma Southon, publishing in may 2026 is a detailed and explorative book discussing slavery within the Roman Empire. It tackles slavery in various settings from the home, to the farm or even imperial buildings and institutions. The book does well at illuminating the brutal world of slavery in Roman society at home and throughout the territories across the empire, whilst discussing how slavery operated to keep a steady flow of free labour and compliance. The book also discussed the servile wars, allowing us to see some of the limited examples of opposition to slavery at this time.
I found Servus to be a very interesting book which was very well researched both in general forms of slavery but also in terms of presenting individual examples of slaves, allowing them to feel all the more real. The books structure was logical and efficient, my only problem with the book really was the relaxed tone of the author. It was not a totally massive problem but I found it did partly come across as undermining the authors work and arguments. Overall, I found the book to be good, interesting and worth reading, especially if you have an interest in either the ancient world or slavery in general and are eager to learn the life behind the slave and not just how they worked within in system of slavery.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a really interesting book to read and I learned so much about the scale of slavery in the Roman empire (30% of the population would have been enslaved), and its diversity, not just in ethnicity (Syrian, Ethiopian, Bulgarian and British slaves all in the same household) but in status (captured slaves were seen as lesser than those who were born into slavery) and occupation (gladiators, soldiers, housekeeper but also miners, farm workers, hairdressers, accountants...) Emma Southon does a really good job showing a full picture of the reality of slavery, since the Romans liked to depict themselves as somewhat benevolent: mothers separated from their children, rape, torture, collective punishment, constant violence, backbreaking work...

It was really well researched and interesting which is why I am, like some others reviewers, puzzled by the very colloquial tone and writing. Why does an a academic like Emma Southon feel the need to write about "bad vibes" or that "it's giving" whatever... In the introduction she talks at length of her choice to refer to her subject as "enslaved people" rather than slaves, so why the jokey tone throughout? It read at times like subtitles from a TikTok video and it really undermined her great work for me.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

[Jen Burrows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Servus is one of those books where the content is so strong you just wish the delivery would just get out of its own way. Southon's research is excellent - genuinely illuminating and very good at showing how Roman slavery operated as a lived, everyday system. I came away with a much clearer sense of the social mechanics behind it all.

But the overly casual tone didn't always work for me - it's fine in short bursts, but stretched across a whole book it starts to feel repetitive and grating. It's a shame, because the underlying material is fascinating and deserves a slightly tighter, more focused approach.

Still, if you're interested in Roman social history, there's a lot here worth reading - Servus is thoughtful, well‑researched, and often eye‑opening.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

[Chris simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is refreshing to read a book about the Roman Empire that contains so many facts that I was not aware of. Slavery and the Roman Empire go hand in hand and for years I have not given to much thought to the mechanics of there system, this book told me everything I didn't know and lots of surprising facts that I needed to know about the slaves themselves. A must read for those that are interested in the Romans But be aware that you might like them even less after reading this. Comprehensive and well written even though the context of some of the authors language is a bit unusual for a history book, quite a bit of swearing and the use of the term Vibe and Besties as in best mates) Don't let that put you off though and you will be rewarded with knowledge that you probably will not find else-ware. I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder Press for the chance to review this title.

[Kerry Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hooder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.
Servus takes us into the dark world of Roman slavery. It takes us through the various slaves that existed, their roles and how life was for them.

This is a fairly lengthy and detailed book but it needed to be for the subject matter. At time it had the chance to get too heavy but the author has a way of keeping you reading and not getting lost. The occasional modern terms to explain things really helped break things up. This was a fascinating read and I was interested to learn about it all. It obviously covers some dark and triggering themes but you expect that with a book like this. The book is well written and clearly well researched. A great read for anyone who enjoys the darker side of history.

[john payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content wise, this is a fine well researched history into the place of slaves in Roman culture and the underlying horror that slavery entailed. A book of this quality which would normally get a five star review from me.
What spoils it for me is the casual, sarcastic, profanity ladened style the author uses. This would be fine in an Irvine Welsh novel, but not in a serious work of history. The style irritated me so much that I almost didn't finish it. The only thing that kept me reading was the undeniable quality of the content.

[Simon J Alvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent piece of history writing, it feels like it is a valuable corrective to the way that Roman history is written about, trying to centre the lives of enslaved people and giving an honest account of the horrible lives that they lived. It is also a highly readable account which I think strikes the balance perfectly between the seriousness of the subject and the attempt at levity and approachability. I think this is Emma's best book and that's a high bar to clear.

[maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

rating nonfiction is a bit weird but emma southon is still my absolute queen and classicist icon. she writes engagingly and about the tough topics without obscuring the text with the misery so much so that it becomes impossible to tak ein the information and its implications. the 'vibes based' description of roman moneyhas given me (for the first time in 9 yearsa of studying classics) a vague understanding of roman money.

[Lucile Masson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-ordered this book after reading Emma Southon’s book about women in the Roman Empire and I was not disappointed! Despite the gruesome details about what slavery was (and still is), it is an incredible book and I had a lot of fun (?) reading it. Definitely a must for anyone interested in anything Roman-related!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and brutal and a necessary read for everyone fascinated by the Roman empire. The topics covered are so painful - with the real agony of so, so many people so effectively conveyed - that it's a real credit to Southon's compelling writing style that it carried me through and I kept coming back to it despite how (rightly) upsetting it so often was. A really impressive achievement.

[Andrew Cutler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that should once and for all explode the myth of “Benevolent” slavery in the ancient Roman world. Thanks to the author ( a fantastic writer), the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this down…..best book on Ancient Rome I have read since SPQR….Emma Southon writes in such an accessible style with razor sharp wit, bringing the past to life

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Galley provided by publisher

Having read two of Emma Southon's previous books about the Roman Empire (those about murder and about women), I was very much looking forward to reading Servus. It did not disappoint - as ever, Southon has a way of making the past feel immediate and fascinating, more so even than some fiction authors. I would say she's up there with Dan Jones (to me) as popular historians who can make you feel like you're right there in that era. Servus is an incredibly comprehensive look at how the Roman Empire was almost entirely underpinned by slavery, in one of the most widely institutional ways in human history. Given that the Roman Empire is often boiled down to a bunch of Great Men and their associate conquests (or the reverse of both), it's a refreshing book to read that focuses on the people who are, more frequently than not, simply ignored unless they do something out of the ordinary (and you can forget about names with that too). The only thing that I would say here, and that other people have also mentioned, is that Southon's somewhat irreverent tone didn't always work in this case. I got used to it, the more I read, but it felt an odd contrast to have her correctly call this a very important topic, and then have a less than serious tone in places. But I think this one is a YMMV instance and I could overlook it in the end.