{"id":4764,"date":"2023-04-07T07:09:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T06:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=4764"},"modified":"2023-04-07T07:09:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T06:09:51","slug":"were-slaves-citizens-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/were-slaves-citizens-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Were slaves citizens in ancient rome?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is some debate over whether or not slaves were considered citizens in ancient Rome. Some believe that they were not considered citizens because they did not have the same rights as free citizens. Others believe that slaves were considered citizens because they were still human beings and were protected by the law.<\/p>\n

No, slaves were not citizens in ancient Rome.<\/p>\n

How did Roman slaves become citizens? <\/h2>\n

Formal manumission was performed by a magistrate and gave freed men full Roman citizenship. The one exception was that they were not allowed to hold office. This encouraged most slaves to be obedient and hard working in the hope of being freed.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of Roman slaves were actually from Greece. This is because of the numerous wars between the two countries, and because Rome usually came out victorious. The first great influx of Greek slaves into Rome occurred after the Roman defeat of the Macedonians at the battle of Pydna in 168 BC.<\/p>\n

Who was considered a citizen in Rome <\/h3>\n