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6 - Roman Egypt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2024

Jane L. Rowlandson
Affiliation:
King's College London
Roger S. Bagnall
Affiliation:
Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York
Dorothy J. Thompson
Affiliation:
Girton College, Cambridge
Jelle Bruning
Affiliation:
Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, The Netherlands
W. Graham Claytor
Affiliation:
Uniwersytet Warszawski, Poland
Jennifer Cromwell
Affiliation:
Manchester Metropolitan University
Christopher J. Eyre
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
Brian P. Muhs
Affiliation:
University of Chicago
Sarah J. Pearce
Affiliation:
University of Southampton
Christopher J. Tuplin
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
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Summary

In Roman Egypt, Greek remained the language of rule but the introduction of the Roman legal system and practices resulted in changes within the bureaucracy and an increase in documentation. Declarations were now required for birth, death, taxes, and much else. There were minor changes in the vocabulary of slavery, but in terms of acquisition and use much remained unchanged. There was an active market in slaves who were primarily employed in the home. There is further evidence for slaves in labouring jobs, artisanal roles, in entertainment and sex work. Imperial slaves held some important administrative roles, and slaves might act as business agents in urban settings. Slave labour was little used in agriculture, though the balance between free and unfree changed over time. As earlier, the boundaries between these categories were sometimes blurred. There is evidence, too, for the manumission of slaves. Documents translated in this chapter illustrate the situation.

Type
Chapter
Information
Slavery and Dependence in Ancient Egypt
Sources in Translation
, pp. 274 - 342
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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