Mouritsen H. The Freedman in the Roman World

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. — 351 p. — ISBN: 978-0-521-85613-3 Hardback.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, and 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.AcknowledgementsIntroduction: approaching Roman freedmen
Macula servitutis: slavery, freedom, and manumission
Freedmen and their patrons
The power and status of freedmen
The practice of manumission at Rome
The freedman in the Roman economy
The freedman (and his son) in public life
Being a Roman freedman: the identity and experiences of former slavesBibliography
Index