Manumission

Bibliographic Data

ID23472147
AuthorsHenrik Mouritsen (0000-0001-7082-4839, King's College London, corresponding author)
Year2016
Pages402-416
Publication date2016-11-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueThe Oxford Handbook of Roman Law and Society (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198728689.013.31
OpenAlexW4235665196
ISBN9780198728689
LanguageEN
References cited9

While manumission has been practised in almost all slave societies the Romans appear to have freed their slaves with unparalleled frequency. The chapter looks at three aspects of Roman manumission: the status of freedmen, the Augustan reforms of manumission and the legal discourse on freedmen under the Empire. It is suggested that the background for the Roman practice of enfranchising former slaves should be sought in the social and legal structures of early Rome, which delegated many “state” functions to the heads of households. The enfranchisement of freedmen was compatible with the political structures of the Republic, but in response to changes to the Roman citizenship the first emperor introduced a new legal framework, which remained until late Antiquity. The details of this framework were refined over the following centuries, as jurists explored a wide range of complex legal issues associated with manumission and the place of freedmen in society.

Ancient history · Art · Citizenship · Emperor · Empire · Humanities · Political science · Politics · State (computer science) · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · History · Law

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