Day of Empire_ How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance--And Why They Fall - Amy Chua [26]
The avenues to slavery were many. Among those who found themselves being auctioned off were prisoners of war, wives and children of prisoners of war, victims of pirates and kidnappers, children of slaves, children whose parents had sold them into slavery, men seized for debt by tax collectors, and even free adults who put themselves up for sale. The plight of slaves varied as well. Some were purchased to herd cattle. Others performed sexual services. Still others worked in households, where they were carefully trained and taught Latin. The unluckiest of the lot were sent to the gladiator games—and not as spectators. Along with common criminals, thousands of slaves were shredded by wild beasts as roaring crowds watched with glee. “So many victims were tied to stakes and then cut open that doctors used to attend the games in order to study anatomy.” Men and women alike were beaten, skewered, flogged, and gutted. Children were strung up by their feet while hyenas were unleashed upon them.
Still, it would be wrong to suggest that the benefits of the Roman Empire never extended beyond the base of Roman citizens. As long as subjects paid their taxes, which were relatively light, Rome essentially left local communities with their local customs alone. Imperial subjects from Britain to Mesopotamia benefited from the Pax Romana and the spread of Roman law, which brought order and stability on a scale never before seen.7
HOW TO GROW AN EMPIRE
According to the Roman myth, the twin brothers Romulus and Remus founded Rome in 753 BC on the site near the Tiber River where they had been found in a basket and suckled by a she-wolf. Romulus was apparently a little defensive; he supposedly killed Remus for joking that the city walls Romulus had built were too short. Nevertheless, Rome became known for its generosity, particularly toward refugees from all across Italy. According to historical legend, the early Romans agreed to incorporate the neighboring Sabines into the city in order to avoid a conflict over Roman abduction of Sabine women. The orator Cicero wrote in 56 BC, “What is most responsible for the establishment of the Roman Empire and the fame of the Roman people is that Romulus, the founder of the city, instructed us by his treaty with the Sabines that the state should be increased even by the admission of enemies to the Roman citizenship. Our ancestors through his authority and example never ceased to grant and bestow the citizenship.”
Over the following centuries, the Romans adopted similar tactics to incorporate other Italian tribes such as the Etruscans and the Umbrians under the umbrella of Rome. Rather than pillaging or looting the cities of defeated foes, Rome offered them treaties of peace that were rarely refused. In most cases, the basic terms of these treaties were simple. The conquered cities could continue to be ruled by their own leaders under their own laws, with two conditions. First, each could trade freely with Rome but not with each other; in this way, the smaller city-states quickly became economically dependent on Rome. Second, each was required to provide Rome with troops.8
These alliances helped Rome grow dramatically in military and economic strength. By 275 BC, Rome had become the largest state in Europe, covering 50,000 square miles from the Rubicon in northern Italy to the Straits of Messina off Italy's southern coast. A decade later, Rome began consolidating its control of the entire western Mediterranean. The Punic Wars, which lasted more than a century, resulted in Rome's conquest of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. The wars culminated with Rome's defeat of Hannibal's legendary elephant