Conquerors and Slaves

Professor Hopkins has developed an exciting approach to social questions in antiquity and his book should be of interest to all students of ancient history and of historical sociology.

Keith Hopkins (Author)

9780521281812, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 31 January 1981

292 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.386 kg

The enormous size of the Roman empire and the length of time it endured call for an understanding of the institutions which sustained it. In this book, Keith Hopkins, who is both classicist and sociologist, uses various sociological concepts and methods to gain new insights into how traditional Roman institutions changed as the Romans acquired their empire. He examines the chain reactions resulting from increased wealth; various aspects of slavery, especially manumission and the cost of freedom; the curious phenomenon of the political power wielded by eunuchs at court; and in the final chapter he discusses the Roman emperor's divinity and the circulation of untrue stories, which were a currency of the political system. Professor Hopkins has developed an exciting approach to social questions in antiquity and his book should be of interest to all students of ancient history and of historical sociology.

List of plates
List of tables
List of figures
Preface
Abbreviations
Maps
1. Conquerors and slaves: the impact of conquering an empire on the political economy of Italy
2. The growth and practice of slavery in Roman times
3. Between slavery and freedom: on freeing slaves at Delphi
4. The political power of eunuchs
5. Divine emperors or the symbolic unity of the Roman empire
Bibliography
Supplementary bibliography
Index of subjects
Index of proper names.

Subject Areas: Social groups [JFS], General & world history [HBG]