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freedmen and slaves - Coggle Diagram
freedmen and slaves
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archaeology on freedmen
funeral monuments of freedmen broadly emphasise a few primary subject matters, namely family and profession, because they could not emphasise military triumphs or time in office
Gavii relief
the Gavii relief displays a family: a libertus named Dardanus, his brother Salvius, the former’s son Rufus and mother Asia
It is known that the two brothers were carpenters, but it is evident that this tomb highlights familial ties above all else
Therefore, it is logical that they might choose to emphasise their family, by presenting themselves as the founding members of a new, free lineage, looking towards the future.
Eurysaces' tomb
This tomb, for Marcus Vergilius Eurysaces, rises 33 feet above the ancient Via Labicana, and so occupies a visible and valuable parcel of land at one of the entrances to the city
Eurysaces has three names, and one is Greek, indicative of a freedman
but it is impossible to conclude that Eurysaces was a freedman, as it may well be that Greek names were simply in vogue in Rome at this time, but the tomb is ostentatious, and there are servile connotations of baking as a profession
cylindrical holes adorning each side that formed part of dough-kneading machines, because there are square depressions at the back of each basin, in which reddish rust stains can be found, elucidating the former presence of metal mounts
built around the end of the republic, between 50-20BC
Zoilos' Tomb, Aphrodisias
some panels of the frieze on Zoilos' tomb survive, we should imagine them around a square columnar mausoleum
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includes figures like Andreia (bravery) and Time (honour), representing Zoilos' military victories. Also Demos and Polis, representing his civic contributions
Zoilos is depicted in a Roman toga - he is proud of his acquisition of citizenship upon being manumitted
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Vesonius' Tomb, Pompeii
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On this inscription, the word 'Augustalis' has been added after the text was first inscribed
Appointment as an Augustalis, or priest of the emperor, was the highest civic honour awarded to a freedman, and he must have been elected after the tomb was commissioned, but still wanted it added
representative of an preoccupation about remembrance, and career progression for a freedman
Mygdonius' tomb, Ravenna
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from the tomb of Mydonius, found in Ravenna, now lost
the inscription says:
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the goddess fortuna is depicted to the right, and the presence of deities in the transition into freedom links this with Trimalchio's mural
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there are many mistakes in the grammar and spelling of the Latin, which may suggest that Mygdonius wrote this himself, it is thus a true account of his feelings
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Tiberius Claudius Secundus, Rome
an inscription honouring the deceased freedman, who used to be a slave of the imperial household, and took the first two names of his master (the emperor) upon manumission
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'Baths, wine, and sex wreck our bodies, but baths, wine, and sex make life worth living'
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also suggests enough wealth had been accumulated when freed, to afford this monument, and baths, wine and sex
big points
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urban slaves or slaves in the imperial household had much better prospects of betterment than their agricultural or mining counterparts
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As such, it is impossible to analyse a singular experience of slavery during this period: location, profession, and the family to which one belonged could all alter a slave’s livelihood
moreover, manumission did not guarantee symmetry of opportunities because you could inherit your master's fortune, or could still be tied to slavery through familial relations, as a mother might be manumitted whilst her children remained in servitude.
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archaeology on slaves
In London, two burials of likely slaves were discovered with iron rings around their ankles . This signifies how slavery could not be escaped, even in death or manumission
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