Life of a Roman Slave

by Don Nardo

Discusses aspects of slavery in ancient Rome, including becoming a slave, its privileges and perils, the use of slaves in farming, business, and public service, and the dark side of the institution. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560063882
• ISBN13: 9781560063889
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Lucent Books
• Length: 111 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.8" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent Historical Writing

Another top-notch piece of work by historian Don Nardo, who for the past several years has consistently turned out the best works on ancient history for young people in the United States. His "Life in Ancient Athens", "Age of Augustus", and more recent single volume "Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology" are, despite their brevity and young adult reading level, on a par with many of the best scholarly works written for adults. This one on Roman slavery covers the subject in amazing detail for such a small book, and the writing is lively and the text meticulously documented throughout. In addition, the bibliography is large and highly useful. A first-rate job all the way around.

Great for both secondary school and the layperson

Don Nardo has done an excellent job of taking account of all the research on slavery in ancient Rome and condensing it into a form easily understood by secondary students and even the average layperson who may be interested in slavery or Rome. While some of his interpretations I'd argue with, 90% of his comments seem well supported. The illusions and the primary text examples were helpful and should interest the reader without overwhelming him/her. Though he does not go into great detail on some topics (such as violence and sexuality) these are addressed to a degree that most parents and high school teachers should be comfortable with. A good list of references are provided in case you want further information.