Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/55

 Romans. His soldiers fought with a courage deserving success; but they were overcome, after an obstinate conflict, and Spartacus himself fell fighting on his knees, upon a heap of his slain enemies. According to the Soman statements, 60,000 rebels fell in this battle, 6000 were made prisoners, and crucified on the Appian way. A considerable number escaped, and continued the war, but were finally destroyed by Pompey.

Under the empire various enactments were made to restrain the cruelty of masters towards their slaves; but the spread of Christianity tended most t. ameliorate their condition, though the possession of them was for a long time by no means condemned as contrary to Christian justice. The Christian writers, however, inculcate the duty of acting towards them as we would be acted by; but down to the age of Theodosius, wealthy persons still continued to keep as many as two or three thousand. Justinian did much to promote the ultimate extinction of slavery; but the number of slaves was again increased by the invasion of the northern barbarians, who not only brought with them their own slaves, who were chiefly Sclavonians, but also reduced many of the inhabitants of the conquered provinces to the condition of slaves. But all the various classes of slaves became merged in the course of time into the serfs of the Middle Ages.

The sources from which the Romans obtained slaves, have already been noticed. Under the republic one of the chief supplies was prisoners taken in war, who were sold by the quæstors with a crown on their heads, and usually on the spot where they were taken, as the care of a large number of captives was inconvenient. Consequently, slave-dealers generally accompanied an army, and frequently after a great battle had been gained, many thousands were sold at once, when the slave-dealers obtained them for a mere trifle. In the camp of Lucullus on one occasion, slaves were sold for a sum equal to about eighty cents of our money.

The slave trade was also carried on to a great extent, and after the fall of Corinth and Carthage, Delos was the chief mart for this traffic. When the Cilician pirates had possession of the Mediterranean, as many as 10,000 slaves are said to have been imported and sold there in one day. A large number came from Thrace and the countries in the north of Europe, but the chief supply was from Africa, and more especially Asia, whence we read of Phyrgians, Lycians, Cappadocians, &c., as slaves.

The trade of slave-dealers was considered disreputable, and expressly distinguished from that of merchants; but it was very lucrative, and great fortunes were made by it. The slave-dealer Thoranius, who lived in the time of Augustus, was a well-known character

Slaves were usually sold by auction at Rome; and, as we have observed of the Greek auctions, they were conducted very much like those of our southern cities. They were placed on a raised stone, or table, so that every one might