Changes

However, there are those who believe that despite the military defeat of Spartacus that his revolt changed the Roman Empire. It led to the rise of Crassus and the devastation of much of southern Italy. This article will argue that Spartacus’ rebellion succeeded in changing the Romans perception of slaves that led to improvements in the lives and status of slaves and a move away from slavery, especially in landed estates.

Slavery was widespread in the Roman world. It seems that a significant proportion of the population were slaves. The institution of slavery had legal status in the Roman law and any slave was the property of their owner. The owners had immense power over their ‘property’ and had the power of life and death over them. Their masters exploited slaves in every conceivable way, but many slaves were also released by their masters and became freedmen. The role of slaves varied in Roman society, and they worked as domestic servants, agricultural workers, miners, and even artisans. Many slaves were educated and worked as administrators or as teachers. Their numbers had greatly expanded during the 2nd and 1st-century BCE.<ref>Appian, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140445099/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140445099&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2b92b7cc100dd5442a529a512340b570 The Civil wars]</i> (Penguin Classics; New Ed edition, London, 1996), p. 12</ref>