Slavery in the late Roman world, AD 275-425 / Kyle Harper.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harper, Kyle, 1979-

Contributor:

Cambridge University Press.

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Slavery--Rome.

Slavery.

Social structure--Rome.

Social structure.

Rome--Social conditions.

Rome.

Rome (Empire).

Social conditions.

Rome--Economic conditions.

Economic conditions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 611 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Capitalizing on the rich historical record of late antiquity, and employing sophisticated methodologies from social and economic history, this book re-interprets the end of Roman slavery. Kyle Harper challenges traditional interpretations of a transition from antiquity to the middle ages, arguing instead that a deep divide runs through "late antiquity," separating the Roman slave system from its early medieval successors. In the process, he covers the economic, social, and institutional dimensions of ancient slavery and presents the most comprehensive analytical treatment of a pre-modern slave system now available. By scouring the late antique record, he has uncovered a wealth of new material, providing fresh insights into the ancient slave system, including slavery's role in agriculture and textile production, its relation to sexual exploitation, and the dynamics of social honor. By demonstrating the vitality of slavery into the later Roman empire, the author shows that Christianity triumphed amidst a genuine slave society. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I. The Economy of Slavery: Introduction

1. Among slave systems: a profile of late Roman slavery

2. The endless river: the supply and trade of slaves

3. Oikonomia: households, consumption, and production

4. Agricultural slavery: exchange, institutions, estates

Part II. The Making of Honorable Society: Introduction

5. Semper timere: the aims and techniques of domination

6. Self, family, and community among slaves

7. Sex, status, and social reproduction

8. Mastery and the making of honor

Part III. The Imperial Order: Introduction

9. Citizenship and litigation: slave status after the Antonine constitution

10. The enslavement of Mediterranean bodies: child exposure and child sale

11. The community of honor: the state and sexuality

12. Rites of manumission, rights of the freed

After the fall: Roman slavery and the end of antiquity

Appendices.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: Part I. The Economy of Slavery: Introduction; 1. Among slave systems: a profile of late Roman slavery; 2. The endless river: the supply and trade of slaves; 3. Oikonomia: households, consumption, and production; 4. Agricultural slavery: exchange, institutions, estates; Part II. The Making of Honorable Society: Introduction; 5. Semper timere: the aims and techniques of domination; 6. Self, family, and community among slaves; 7. Sex, status, and social reproduction; 8. Mastery and the making of honor; Part III. The Imperial Order: Introduction; 9. Citizenship and litigation: slave status after the Antonine constitution; 10. The enslavement of Mediterranean bodies: child exposure and child sale; 11. The community of honor: the state and sexuality; 12. Rites of manumission, rights of the freed; Conclusion: Roman slavery, proto-modernity, and the end of antiquity; Appendices.

Electronic reproduction. Cambridge Available via World Wide Web.

Description based on print version record.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

ISBN:

9780511973451

0511973454

Publisher Number:

99966788812

40019561788

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.