Enslaved Childhoods in the Roman Imperial World : Ancient Lives between Alienation and Approbation

A thought-provoking and challenging panorama of the lives of enslaved children in the Roman Empire.

This book offers a uniquely concentrated study of Roman child slavery through the lens of archaeological, epigraphic, papyrological and literary evidence. Across ten chapters, each expertly written by a subject specialist, the collection traces the experience of enslaved children in the Roman imperial world from the battlefield to the tomb. Through this holistic approach we can glimpse the lived reality of child enslavement and slavery — from violent capture and sale, via ruthless sexualisation and abuse, commodification and exploitation, to communal integration, social appreciation and profound familial approbation. By its focus on multiple key events in the lives of enslaved children, the book centres attention on the diversity of experiences that characterise child slavery in the Roman Empire. In their totality, the presented case studies demonstrate the importance of a child-centred approach to the study of Roman slavery and Roman society more broadly.