Her name was Amica, and her name and footprint are embedded in a terra cotta tile belonging to an ancient Roman temple. The signed tile is a rare find because Amica was a Roman slave, and her footprint survives. For the most part, the slaves of the well-preserved city of Pompeii still remain largely “invisible” in history, according to the University of Delaware’s Lauren Hackworth Petersen.
Petersen, an associate professor of art history at UD, is exploring new approaches, drawing on literature, law, art and other material evidence, to bring the lives of Pompeii’s slaves out of the shadows. The research is part of a forthcoming book she is co-authoring with Sandra Joshel, professor of history at the University of Washington.
During the inaugural lecture of the UD Department of History’s Graduate Student Lecture Series on Sept. 11, Petersen spoke of countless hours spent in Pompeii walking on the stone streets and narrow sidewalks “in the scorching sun of summer, in the rain and howling wind of winter,” imagining where the city’s slaves may have traveled as they carried out their daily work.
Who were these slaves? Roman slaveholders got them from many places. Some were Greeks, some were Africans, some were bred in the country specifically for the role, according to Petersen.
Mt. Vesuvius buried Pompeii in 79 A.D. in a searing avalanche of hot air, volcanic ash and rock. The city’s population has been estimated at 20,000 people near the time of its destruction. Although no one knows exactly how many slaves were in the city, the typical Roman household may have had five to seven slaves, Petersen said, with larger houses such as the impressive House of the Menander, nearly the size of a city block, having many more.
A Slave's Life in Ancient Pompeii
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