Why Is Rome Considered Slavery A Natural Institution?

302 Words2 Pages
Introduction
In an attempt to justify slavery, Roman jurist Gaius (or Caius) wrote in the Institutiones, “Even to the primitive mind the universality of an institution implies its naturalness,” (Gaius, 161 AD). In other words, most Romans considered slavery a natural institution because it was commonly established in the ancient world. Although other empires practiced slavery, the Roman Empire was the utmost slave dependent empire of them all (Nardo, 2003). This dependency on slaves affected the many structures of the Roman Republic (and later the Roman Empire). In fact, once established, slavery became a prominent force influencing Rome's cultural, financial, political, and social structures.
Conquests, Slaves, and Consequences Though