The Freedman in the Roman World - Brossura

Mouritsen, Henrik

Brossura

ISBN 10: 110751908X ISBN 13: 9781107519084

Casa editrice: Cambridge University Press, 2015

Riassunto

Freedmen occupied a complex and often problematic place in Roman society between slaves on the one hand and freeborn citizens on the other. Playing an extremely important role in the economic life of the Roman world, they were also a key instrument for replenishing and even increasing the size of the citizen body. This book presents an original synthesis, for the first time covering both Republic and Empire in a single volume. While providing up-to-date discussions of most significant aspects of the phenomenon, the book also offers a new understanding of the practice of manumission, its role in the organisation of slave labour and the Roman economy, as well as the deep-seated ideological concerns to which it gave rise. It locates the freedman in a broader social and economic context, explaining the remarkable popularity of manumission in the Roman world.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

'Mouritsen is an excellent guide to the tricky social history and economics of Roman freedmen.' The Times Literary Supplement

'This is a great book, an attempt not just to trace but also in sense to rewrite the history of Roman freedmen (and, by extension, much of Roman social and economic history too). It is particularly strong in offering a corrective to many older views and challenging the evidence upon which those views were based ... [Mouritsen] triumphantly undermines old and lazy orthodoxies, but his book also makes clear some of the difficulties in moving from offering a corrective to those views to offering a new vision of Roman freedmen. It is a fundamental contribution to the subject of Roman slavery and a must-read for anyone interested in Roman social history more generally.' Niall McKeown, Scripta Classica Israelica

'Mouritsen's depth of insight and breadth of knowledge have, at last, produced an overarching account of manumission in the Roman world that will be an essential point of departure for future work on this topic, as well as an invaluable resource for teaching.' Bryn Mawr Classical Review

'Given the size of the slave and freedman populations in the ancient world, and the extent to which these individuals were entangled in nearly every aspect of the Roman quotidian experience, there can be no hope of properly grasping that universe without a thorough appreciation of its liberti. Mouritsen has produced what is, to my taste, the most important book we now have on this topic ... In short, anyone seeking to understand Rome in the late republican and early imperial periods must not neglect The Freedman [in the Roman World].' Classical World

'Mouritsen's excellent study fills the need for an updated synthesis on Roman freedmen.' American Historical Review

'This is a magisterial synchronic overview of the subject that reconfigures the specific issues that have for decades drawn the attention of scholars ... This book is valuable for the way it recasts or even reverses what we thought was typical or unusual.' Translated from Sehepunkte (sehepunkte.de)

'The analysis is nothing short of revolutionary, an important advance over the standard studies.' Ancient History Bulletin

Descrizione del libro:

The first comprehensive study of Roman freedmen and women in over a century, covering all major aspects of the subject. These include manumission practices, legal status, the patronus-libertus relationship, freedmen's place in public life and the self-representation of freedmen and women through epigraphic and literary sources.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Cambridge University Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2015
• ISBN 10: 110751908X
• ISBN 13: 9781107519084
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 352