Discussion SectionRoman Slavery, Spartacus etal.

14 October 2013
For this discussion section, you are expected to have read the entire Spartacus sourcebook.
There are regular claims that the Romans (really, all ancient cultures) lived in constant fear of a
slave revolt due to the large! si"e of the enslaved population. #e $ill assess this claim by
making a case study of Spartacus% famous revolt during the Roman Republic, along $ith other
evidence from the Roman era for the institution of slavery.
&ost of our evidence is narrative' that is, to a certain extent historians have constructed the
history of Roman slavery primarily from anecdotes! rather than specific (uantitative evidence.
This $eek%s discussion exercise $ill allo$ us to focus both on this particular historical problem,
as $ell as to develop historical arguments.
Part I. )s you read through the primary sources about Roman slavery, keep track of evidence
that responds to*that is, either supports or challenges* the follo$ing propositions. +rovide
three examples for each category $ith a brief note of $hat they demonstrate (either individually
or as a group).
The Roman elites feared a slave revolt,.
+sychological $arfare existed bet$een slaves and masters,.
-pposition by slaves to the institution of slavery' opposition by non.slaves
Part II. /hoose one of the follo$ing historical moments0! middle of the 1
nd
century 2/3 (i.e.
pre.Spartacus), 4ulius /aesar and the First Triumvirate, the reign of )ugustus, or the Roman
3mpire c. 556 /3. )ccording to the evidence you have examined in the Spartacus sourcebook,
prepare a one paragraph response to the (uestion of $hether the Romans $ere 7ustified to fear a
slave revolt 8during the reign of )ugustus, for example9. :ou should have a clear argument and
briefly discuss relevant evidence.
Part III. #hat is the counterargument to your evidence; That is, $hat might be the problems
$ith your sources (e.g. do legal sources reflect ideals more than reality;) or ho$ could someone
challenge your claim; #rite a paragraph addressing and resolving these issues.
<eep in mind that this assignment is $orth more than your usual ones*=> points*a reflection
of the longer reading re(uired and deeper analysis.