In the Roman household, the father or eldest male had complete power over the rest of his family. In theory, he could order the death of his wife and children for any reason, with impunity, with slaves being particularly vulnerable. Most of the slaves were captured in war and, in all but a few cases, they would be slaves the rest of their lives as well as any children they might conceive. They were forbidden to marry, were not Roman citizens, and had no rights under Roman law.
The best hope a slave could have was to work in the household of a rich Roman who was decent in his treatment. Female slaves could be sexually assaulted at will and, according to surviving historical documents, this was, sadly, often the case. Household slaves could at least sleep in relative comfort and eat the scraps that were leftover from their master’s expensive banquets.
The worst place a slave could be was to work in the silver mines. There, in three feet of space between ceiling and floor, they toiled 10 hours a day, breathing in the dust. There were no roof supports, so fatalities were common. At night, they slept in chains bound to other slaves. If one slave managed to escape, the others were put to death for allowing it to happen.
Punishments for crimes – whether slave or free – were usually carried out in rapid succession. For minor offenses, this might include a severe beating, being flogged or branded on the forehead. More severe crimes might receive a punishment of putting out the eyes, ripping out the tongue, or cutting off ears. The death penalty included being buried alive, impaling and, of course, crucifixion....The Romans did not hesitate to torture before putting someone to death. One such punishment was sewing a bound prisoner in a heavy sack with a snake, a rooster, a monkey and a dog, then throwing the sack into the river. One can only imagine the agony inside. This punishment was usually reserved for patricide, or a son who killed his father."
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