A Distant Diaspora: Comparative Perspectives on the Archaeology of Roman Slavery.

Summary

More than 100 million people were enslaved in the millennium during which the Roman Empire rose and was eclipsed, yet the lives of Roman slaves are still generally assumed to be archaeologically inaccessible. Classical archaeologists view slavery almost entirely through the lens of the Roman literary tradition, and through the work of ancient historians who have drawn on that tradition. This paper will suggest that whilst the material strategies of Roman slaves might be hard to isolate, they are not ‘invisible’. In North America and the Caribbean, archaeologists have developed sophisticated methodologies for identifying and interpreting artifacts made and used by the enslaved. Through a brief case study exploring ephemeral forms of inscription (verbal and visual graffiti),  I will argue that work on ethnogenesis amongst slaves in the Americas might help Classical archaeologists to develop new approaches to the material world of slaves in the Roman world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Entangling Colonial Narratives New and Old   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 179