A scholar explores the history of slavery in Ancient Rome using a fictional story as a backdrop. Marcus Sidonius Falx is an average Roman citizen. Born of a relatively well-off noble family, he lives on a palatial estate in Campania, dines with senators and generals, and, like all of his ancestors before him, owns countless slaves. Having spent most of his life managing his servants—many of them prisoners from Rome’s military conquests—he decided to write a kind of owner’s manual for his friends and countrymen. The result, The Roman Guide to Slave Management, is a sly, subversive guide to the realities of servitude in ancient Rome. Cambridge scholar Jerry Toner uses Falx, his fictional but true-to-life creation, to describe where and how to Romans bought slaves, how they could tell an obedient worker from a troublemaker, and even how the ruling class reacted to the inevitable slave revolts. Toner also adds commentary throughout, analyzing the callous words and casual brutality of Falx and his compatriots and putting it all in context for the modern reader. Written with a deep knowledge of ancient culture—and the depths of its cruelty—this is the Roman Empire as you’ve never seen it before. “By turns charming, haughty, and brutal . . . an ingenious device.” —The New Yorker “[Toner’s] history and commentary provides context for the dirty institution upon which modern civilization is built.” —Publishers Weekly

A lively and comprehensive overview of Roman slavery, ideal for introductory-level students of the ancient Mediterranean world.

Learn the secrets to conquering the world like a Caesar: “A fun concept and an entertaining way to teach the history of Roman society” (Historical Novel Society). Following his “ingenious” handbook on slave management, here is Marcus Sidonius Falx’s new guide on how to improve every aspect of your barbarian life (The New Yorker). Up to now, most barbarians have had to settle for marveling at the Romans’ achievements. This guide from one of its leading aristocrats lets you into the secrets of Rome’s success. Outlining the personal characteristics that have made the Romans the most successful people in history, he shows how you too can learn from their example. He reveals the ways in which Romans approach their work and how they boost their career prospects. He explains how to control your emotions, especially when involved in the difficult process of conquering others. He covers the delicate subject of managing your love life, choosing a suitable wife, and then maintaining control over your family. Supported by his practical wisdom, you’ll discover how to raise yourself up in society, enjoy the good life, and keep the gods on your side. Based on a wealth of original sources, this book lets us understand the society behind the greatest empire the world has ever known. “At times laugh-out-loud funny and at others shocking . . . A very useful guide to the real-life customs of its era.” —The Washington Independent Review of Books

Greek and Roman Slaveries Slavery was foundational to Greek and Roman societies, affecting nearly all of their economic, social, political, and cultural practices. Greek and Roman Slaveries offers a rich collection of literary, epigraphic, papyrological, and archaeological sources, including many unfamiliar ones. This sourcebook ranges chronologically from the archaic period to late antiquity, covering the whole of the Mediterranean, the Near East, and temperate Europe. Readers will find an interactive and user-friendly engagement with past scholarship and new research agendas that focuses particularly on the agency of ancient slaves, the processes in which slavery was inscribed, the changing history of slavery in antiquity, and the comparative study of ancient slaveries. Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on ancient slavery, as well as courses on slavery more generally, this sourcebook’s questions, cross-references, and bibliographies encourage an analytical and interactive approach to the various economic, social, and political processes and contexts in which slavery was employed while acknowledging the agency of enslaved persons.

This book examines Paul's letter to the Philippians against the social background of the colony at Philippi. After an extensive survey of Roman social values, Professor Hellerman argues that the cursus honorum, the formalized sequence of public offices that marked out the prescribed social pilgrimage for aspiring senatorial aristocrats in Rome (and which was replicated in miniature in municipalities and in voluntary associations), forms the background against which Paul has framed his picture of Jesus in the great Christ hymn in Philippians 2. In marked contrast to the values of the dominant culture, Paul portrays Jesus descending what the author describes as a cursus pudorum ('course of ignominies'). The passage has thus been intentionally framed to subvert Roman cursus ideology and, by extension, to redefine the manner in which honour and power were to be utilized among the Christians at Philippi.

An exciting study of ancient slavery in Greece and Rome This book provides an introduction to pivotal issues in the study of classical (Greek and Roman) slavery. The span of topics is broad—ranging from everyday resistance to slavery to philosophical justifications of slavery, and from the process of enslavement to the decline of slavery after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The book uses a wide spectrum of types of evidence, and relies on concrete and vivid examples whenever possible. Introductory chapters provide historical context and a clear and concise discussion of the methodological difficulties of studying ancient slavery. The following chapters are organized around central topics in slave studies: enslavement, economics, politics, culture, sex and family life, manumission and ex-slaves, everyday conflict, revolts, representations, philosophy and law, and decline and legacy. Chapters open with general discussions of important scholarly controversies and the challenges of our ancient evidence, and case studies from the classical Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman periods provide detailed and concrete explorations of the issues. Organized by key themes in slave studies with in-depth classical case studies Emphasizes Greek/Roman comparisons and contrasts Features helpful customized maps Topics range from demography to philosophy, from Linear B through the fall of the empire in the west Features myriad types of evidence: literary, historical, legal and philosophical texts, the bible, papyri, epitaphs, lead letters, curse tablets, art, manumission inscriptions, and more Ancient Greek and Roman Slavery provides a general survey of classical slavery and is particularly appropriate for college courses on Greek and Roman slavery, on comparative slave societies, and on ancient social history. It will also be of great interest to history enthusiasts and scholars, especially those interested in slavery in different periods and societies.

'Toner again spins a tale that is enjoyable and informative.' The Times Tour the Roman Empire at its height with Marcus Sidonius Falx and his amanuensis, Dr Jerry Toner. Travelling east, Falx explores the great cultural centre of Athens before trekking into rural Asia (or Turkey as we know it), past the already ancient Luxor monuments in Roman Egypt, and by the Great Library of Alexandria. Travelling west across the breadbasket of the Empire, he journeys through Gaul (France) before crossing to Britannia, where he suffers the worst that provincial life has to offer. Falx provides practical advice on surviving all things travel: from pirates and shipwrecks to bedbugs and lousy food. Even the most sedentary reader will feel they have experienced life in the Empire first-hand.