The last of these is perhaps the most well-known. Known as the Servile Wars, there were three in total.

It is not surprising, therefore, that this period was marked by a series of slave rebellions. As the Romans expanded first through Italy, and then progressively further afield, vast swathes of people found themselves lost to slavery: now property, they were a part of the Roman Empire that robbed them of their agency. The expansion of the Roman state during the Republican period, especially during the second century BCE, led to an enormous influx of slaves into the Roman world. Although some could receive their freedom, many never did, instead remaining as property for their entire lives. As a relatively inexpensive labor force, slaves worked in agriculture, mining, and construction.

Although some found roles as servants, craftsmen, or in other skilled and valuable roles, the vast majority were used for hard, manual labor. A product of the state’s territorial, militaristic expansion, it also underpinned the empire’s economy. The institution of slavery was a pernicious constant in the history of the Roman Empire.

Describe the city of rome in gladiator