Roman slavery: a brutal life in the ancient empire
Guy de la Bédoyère reveals why the Roman empire simply couldn't have functioned without the labour (and the suffering) of its captive population
How many slaves were there in the Roman empire? Were they cruelly treated, or could they sometimes go on to win fame, fortune and freedom? And how often did they – like Spartacus –rebel? Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Guy de la Bédoyère explores the remarkable, and often brutal, history of slavery in the ancient world's most powerful empire.
(Ad) Guy de la Bédoyère is the author of Populus: Living and Dying in the Wealth, Smoke and Din of Ancient Rome (Abacus, 2024).
Hannah Platts takes listeners on a multi-sensory tour of the ancient Roman home, here
Authors
Spencer is senior production editor of BBC History Magazine