World History up to 1500: Experiencing the Roman Empire Q&A

Question: What privileges did the wealthy upper class have in Rome, and how did their lives compare to the lives of the lower classes?
Answer: Wealthy aristocratic males had careers in the law or military and were the patrons of poorer clients. Their extensive properties gave them access to these career paths as well as the added benefits of luxury and leisure. Though the lower classes included many educated clients who relied on the rich for gifts, others had to rely on infrequent work to survive and lived in large apartment complexes.

Question: How did Romans acquire enslaved people?
Answer: Enslaved people were acquired primarily through wartime conquest, in which a subjugated people were sold into slavery. Others had been kidnapped, abandoned as infants, or sold into slavery voluntarily to repay debts.

Question: Could enslaved people be freed, and if so, how?
Answer: Yes, the enslaved could be freed through the act of manumission, which was an expected practice. They could be freed in a slaveholder’s will or officially before a magistrate, or they could save their own money to purchase their freedom.

Question: What was the structure of trade in the Roman Empire?
Answer: Italy was the prominent manufacturer of ceramic and metal goods. Metals were imported from mines in Spain, Britain, and elsewhere. Italy also produced glass and textiles, but many of its manufacturing hubs shifted north to Gaul and Germany in the later Roman Empire. Since grain came primarily from Egypt, Italy focused on producing higher-priced agricultural products, most notably wine and olive oil, that were exported to places around the Mediterranean.

Question: What made Christianity different from other Roman religions?

Christians were viewed as neglecting the traditional religious rites including sacrifice, worship of the emperor, and participation in religious festivals. Because their belief system was indifferent to these institutions, their views were seen as a threat to Rome’s authority.

Question: What were the most prevalent Roman attitudes toward the Jewish people?

At times, the Jewish people held a special status because Romans viewed their long history with some regard. Yet at other times, they were viewed skeptically for their refusal to participate in some parts of Roman culture. The wars between Romans and the Jewish people show how violence was a means for the Romans to assert cultural dominance.