The people of Ancient Rome celebrated their magnificent structures and powerful armies while ignoring the widespread abuse of human beings who built their empires.
Rome operated its economy and social activities alongside its citizens because it owned almost as many slaves. The Roman society accepted and supported sexual mistreatment of slaves as part of its normal legal and social practices.
Under Roman Ancient law, slaves did not have personal rights because they were treated as property used for work and sexual enjoyment. They had no legal rights to protect them from their owners’ sexual desires.
The surviving written and carved records show how often masters used slaves sexually and how society made this practice acceptable.
The duties of a slave in Rome depended completely on what their owner needed and how important they were to him. Slaves had to perform duties as gladiators or miners before taking up roles as domestic helpers, including chefs, and child caregivers.
Slaves throughout Rome had to perform sexual duties along with their work tasks, especially women who could be forced into sexual acts without legal protection. The law failed to defend their rights because their owners controlled their bodies.
Female slaves who looked attractive faced increased danger of sexual assault. These women had no privacy because they needed to sleep in public areas of the house where anyone could access them.
Slaves needed to obey when their masters showed interest. The jealous feelings of the household mistress often made life unbearable for female slaves.
Juvenal used satire to tell how Peses the slave endured daily beatings from her mistress because she was accused of having sex with her master. The master did not simply use sexual power to satisfy himself but also used it to dominate and humiliate his victims.
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