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Dan Sweeney
10/25/11
Roman Slavery

In the Cell

Darkness was all around him. His arms and legs were bound to the wall by thick chains,
and the only sound was the low murmur oI breaths Irom his Iellow captives. Gaius had been in
this prison
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Ior what seemed like days; but he could not be certain because oI the constant
darkness. He heard the sound oI the door being unlocked; they must have Iound another one he
thought to himselI. Only a sliver oI light crept into the holding cell, but it was enough to startle
the men, whose eyes had been used to nothing but the dark. He heard the sound oI two guards
dragging a third, who seemed to be resisting. There was a loud thud as the man was thrown to
the Iloor. He screamed out in agony, 'Please, I had no part in the plot, you must believe me.
There was no response Irom the guards. Again he pleaded: 'I am an innocent man, I loved my
master and would never wish any harm upon him. The two guards leIt without a word, locking
the door behind them. 'Gods have mercy on me, where is the justice? I do not deserve to die,
he yelled. Judging by his voice and demeanor he could not have been any older than eighteen;
he was just a boy. He continued to yell out, his voice deaIening in the enclosed cell.
'Save your breath young lad, it won`t do you much good down here, a gruII voice said.
'You`re just a child, but you would do yourselI a Iavor by accepting your Iate now, he
continued. This older Iellow had been here even longer than Gaius, and had already oIIered

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http://www.dl.ket.org/latin2/mores/legallatin/prisons.htm: Talks about the existence oI Roman prisons. Although
rare, they were mostly used as holding cells Ior individuals awaiting execution. Also mentioned in Wiedemann 227.
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similar words oI advice to several other broken men as the hours went by. Gaius respected the
old slave; he was blunt, but had a certain calmness about him that helped settle the others down.
The men in the cell were all slaves awaiting their executions. A handIul oI them had
plotted and carried out the murder oI their master several days earlier. The incident took place
while the master was taking a bath in his villa. He had been surrounded by his slaves and beaten
to death.
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Gaius had heard that one slave in particular stomped on the master`s head until his
Iace was unrecognizable. AIter the murder, the slaves had no choice but to Ilee; even the ones
that did not take part in the plot. The master`s body was soon discovered by the Iamily, and the
authorities were alerted oI the runaway slaves. It did not take long Ior the Romans to hunt down
the slaves. They were easily indentiIied because they all bore the mark oI the house oI Tullius,
which was a letter 'T branded on the inside oI the Iorearm. Although branding was normally
reserved Ior slaves who had a habit Ior running away, the master branded them all anyway;
perhaps paranoid that something like this would happen.
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The Romans` decision to execute all
the slaves, regardless oI their role, was twoIold: Iirstly, they could not deIinitively prove who
had been involved, and secondly, they wanted to send a clear message to other slaves across the
Empire. Furthermore this was also required by Roman law.
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The late master had been a brutal and insolent man who was especially Iond oI
disciplining his slaves. He did not physically discipline the slaves himselI, but rather had an
overseer named Demetrios deal out his violence. Demetrios had been known to whip slaves,
even women, in such a brutal Iashion that by the time he was Iinished they would be covered in

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Wledemann 209 llny lettets 3 14 assage abouL slaves revolLlng agalnsL Lhelr masLer cornerlng and
aLLempLlng Lo klll hlm AfLerwards Lhey fled and were hunLed down by 8oman auLhorlLles
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Wledemann 218 eLronlus 5otytlcoo 103
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Wledemann 180 ulqest 29 3 Speaks abouL 8oman law requlrlng Lhe lnLerrogaLlon LorLure and execuLlon of all
slaves wlLhln earshoL" of Lhe murder of masLer 1houghL Lo moLlvaLe slaves Lo proLecL Lhelr masLer aL all cosLs
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blood. He seemed to derive a certain pleasure Irom these beatings, and would not cease until he,
himselI, was worn out.
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Gaius remembered the Iirst time he witnessed such a beating. The slave
being whipped had been caught stealing extra rations Irom the kitchen. Demetrios struck him Ior
hours, each blow Iollowed by a scream oI agony that cannot be properly described on paper.
The sound oI whip against Ilesh continued until dawn, until the slave did not even have the
strength to cry out anymore. This had been years ago, but it was an experience that could not be
Iorgotten.
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He thought oI Demetrios, who had so Iar eluded capture, and wondered iI he would
be executed along with the rest oI them, since he was a slave too, aIter all.
As the hours went by, more and more slaves were dragged into the cell, until they were
practically piled on top oI one another. Several oI the slaves rumored to have actually been
involved in the murder were now bound in the cell. An ominous silence gripped the
overcrowded cell, interrupted only be the occasional whisper or whimper. At any moment these
men would be Iorced Irom the cell, dragged through the streets, and hung on wooden posts until
their death.
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They were to be a warning to other slaves about what would happen to them iI their
master was killed. It was both an absolutely humiliating and terriIying prospect, even Ior the
most hardened oI slaves. The silence was interrupted by the same gruII voice that had advised
the young slave earlier, 'Curse these Roman dogs, let`s get on with the damn thing already.
Gaius agreed. The waiting game was terribly burdensome on the mind. With nothing but time
on his hands, he could not help but reIlect on his liIe both beIore and aIter his enslavement.
Memories Irom his childhood raced through his head. He had been Iree back then, living in a
Thracian village with his original, rightIul Iamily. His town had been raided by Roman

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uouglas 342343 assage abouL overseer who Lakes pleasure ln whlpplng slaves
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uouglas 343 assage abouL wlLnesslng a horrlble beaLlng from slave's polnL of vlew
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Wledemann 232 Applan omoo clvll wots 1alks of how capLured slaves were execuLed by cruclflxlon
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legionaries when he was just a boy, and his Ireedom and liIe that he had known were gone in the
blink oI an eye. Although he hated the Iact that he was now another man`s property, he learned
to accept his Iate. He worked hard as a slave, always doing his work the right way, and never
lying or stealing. He had pushed the idea oI Ireedom Iar Irom his thoughts because the idea only
served to sabotage him mentally. He took pride in his work, and always showed respect to his
master. All oI this, Ior what? The deprivation oI light and an impending death was too much Ior
any man to handle.
Several oI the other captives began to grow restless. One in particular started beating his
head against the wall, apparently driven mad. The gruII voice, who had advised several oI the
other slaves earlier, broke the silence, 'So tell me Flavius, what did you and your comrades hope
to accomplish by killing the master?
'Hold your tongue, old man, what`s done is done, a voice (presumably Flavius)
responded. 'A man can only take so much punishment and abuse beIore he is driven over the
edge -- we had no choice but to resist.
'But did you give thought to the rest oI your brothers? the older slave asked. 'Many
had no part in your plot, but will suIIer regardless.
'It is regrettable, but justice was served, Flavius replied. 'We have all suIIered terrible
lives at the hand oI this man. Some oI you may have grown to accept this treatment we are but
slaves aIter all, but not me.never me! he exclaimed. 'I am a man made oI Ilesh and bone, just
as he was. I will NOT be treated like a dog, he continued.
'So you get your justice`, but then what? Did you even have a plan Ior what you would
do aIter it was carried out? the older slave questioned. 'Did you really believe that killing the
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master would solve your problems, cure your wounds, or grant you Ireedom? He sighed
deeply. 'Let me tell you something, Flavius. I have had three diIIerent masters over the course
oI my long liIe, and none were any better than the one you slaughtered. This is the liIe we have
been dealt. Fate has been cruel, no doubt, but resistance is Iutile. I Iear you will have learned
this lesson too late.
'Maybe so, retorted Flavius. 'But I would rather die proudly, knowing I Iought until the
bitter end, rather than serve such a detestable man.
'I`m aIraid there will be little to be prideIul oI when you are stripped oI your garments
and Iorced to drag 100 pounds oI wood through the city, in Iront oI hundreds oI Romans, he
said in a sad voice. You will be nothing more than a spectacle to the citizens, and a warning to
other slaves to never engage in such Ioolery. When you eventually reach your destination, you
will be tied to another piece oI wood, and leIt to rot under the beating sun. You`re a young,
healthy lad.you might have the misIortune oI surviving a day or two. They will watch you, in
your utter agony, with mild disinterest as your liIe slowly slips away. Breathing will soon
become an excruciating task, but you will be able to get just enough air to sustain yourselI. II
you are lucky, they might even break your legs, to hasten the process. Your body will remain on
display even aIter you have passed on, as a reminder oI what happens to rebellious slaves, he
Iinished.
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Flavius did not respond, and was perhaps just now realizing the horrors that were in store
Ior him shortly. The older slave`s detailed description did little to soothe Gaius or the rest oI the
slaves. What he would do Ior a clean death; he deserved at least that much aIter all. Despite his

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hLLp//wwworluLherancom/hLml/cruclfyhLml age glvlng lnformaLlon and deLalls abouL cruclflxlon ln Lhe
anclenL world
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Ioolishness, there was something about Flavius that Gaius admired. Unlike himselI, Flavius
reIused to accept his Iate as an inIerior being. He held all the anger and Irustration within, and
had Iinally reached his breaking point. He was not aIraid to Iight Ior himselI, and openly
considered his master`s treatment unacceptable. This had undoubtedly led to countless beatings
over the years, but his spirit was unwavering; he would not be broken. Gaius, on the other hand,
never openly criticized his master. When asked by outsiders, he would always answer that he
was content, and treated well, Iearing that the truth would lead to punishment.
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A Iew more hours in silence went by until Demetrios was Iinally brought into the cell. It
was nearly impossible to decipher Iaces in the darkness, but the brieI illumination Irom the
opened door had shown that it was him; there was no mistaking it. He was thrown to the ground
with the rest oI his Iellow slaves, no longer protected by his superior position as overseer.
Within seconds oI the cell door closing he was swarmed by several other slaves. AIter all the
years oI allotting out punishments, he was now at the receiving end oI the violence. The sound
oI bone against Ilesh reverberated throughout the cell. From the sounds oI it, he was getting
punched and stomped on simultaneously in a relentless Iashion. AIter a Iew minutes the
aggressors ceased their assault. The damage had been done, however, and Demetrios was most
certainly dead. AIter all the pain and anguish he had caused over the years, it was surely a
justiIied kill. Soon aIter, several guards entered the cell and began Iorcing the men out; it was
time. Gaius walked out oI the cell, ready to Iace his execution. He did not think it was justiIied,
but accepted it nonetheless; it was easier that way. As he walked through the hall oI the Roman
prison he could not help but think that maybe Demetrios had been the luckiest oI them all.

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uouglas 333 assage abouL how slaves generally say Lhey are LreaLed well because masLers would someLlmes
send sples Lo gaLher lnformaLlon on Lhe slaves lf Lhey complalned and sald Lhey were mlsLreaLed Lhey were
someLlmes sold or punlshed
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