Slaves, Freedmen and Citizens

[Caius Fabius]

In the first century AD, did a freed slave become a Roman citizen? Could a Freedman become a Roman Citizen simply by buying citizenship, or could the slave owner buy their citizenship upon freeing a slave?

[Carlton Bach]

It's been a while, but the way I remember it:

a slave freed in a formal fashion (there were numerous forms of manumission, not all of which carried the same weight) would become a Roman citizen, though not one with full rights. The stigma of freedman would attach to him as he automatically remained in a dependent relationship to his former owner, making him ineligible for most public offices. His sons, if born in proper /conubium/ with a citizen wife, would become full citizens.

A slave freed by a Roman citizen by less formal manumission would become a Junian Latin - some form of Latin citizenship of lesser nature than the Roman.

A slave freed by a Latin in formal citizenship became a Latin, though equally in lifelong dependency to his former master.

A slave freed by a peregrine became a peregrine.

Technically, there was no way of buying Roman citizenship (though many writers indicate that such things were possible, with the right contacts). Originally, citizenship could be bestowed by grant through the assemnbly (IIRC the Centuriate Comitia). During trhe Census, people who had legal claim (children and freedmen of citizens) could be enrolled without such a grant. Later, the Senate and eventually the Emperor gained the right to make such grants, and it appears in practice lower officials arrogated it at times. Roman citizens could bestow citizenship on their slaves by freeing them before the Praetor, but no other way. Marrying a peregrine did NOT make him/her a citizen.

[Caius Fabius]

I find you have answered me very well. I am trying to find out how 'St. Paul? became a Roman citizen, by birth, and one of the distinct possibilities is that his father was a captive/slave from the Wars of Julius or Augustus Caesar, and earned his manumission in some way. If he was a skilled tent maker, perhaps his value as a freedman and supervisor and member of the Jewish community in Tarsus would have caused his master to grant him freedom. Thereby must hang another tale, untold and unknown, but pivotal to world history! 8)

[Antonius Lucretius]

The double identity roman/jewish of Saul of Tarusus, a.k.a. Saint Paul is considered with skeptcism by many, including Jérôme of Stridon, a.k.a. saint Jérôme, in latin Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus, one of the father founders of the christian church.
His biography is rather vague although we know a few things. Whoever he was really, he may have been a more important person than the "simple missionary" image he gave of himself.
At one point he had 70 troopers and 200 foot soldiers to escort him from Jerusalem to Caesarea. It seems too that he had talks with important persons, including king Agrippa.
More that a "simple missionary, then.
I think that if he indeed had the citizenship it may haver been granted to one of his ancestors for services rendered.

[civ via orientalis]

i have a question.
did the roman slaves had slave belts <with ownername etc.>
if that is true than how did they look

greets civ via orientalis

[John Maddox Roberts]

Roman slaves did not wear any mark to distinguish them as slaves. When a senator, incensed that you couldn't tell a freeman from a slave in the streets, suggested that slaves should be given a distinguishing uniform or mark, he was quickly shouted down on the grounds that slaves would then see how numerous they were and rebel. That said, there may have been uniforms or insignia for slaves in particular occupations: messengers, arena attendants, charioteers, etc. A late mosaic shows slave bath attendants wearing caps and sashes, perhaps because everyone else was naked and social distinctions grew more severe in the late Empire. Habitual runaways could have a collar riveted around their necks, engraved with the master's name, address and a reward for return of the slave.

[FAVENTIANVS]

What was the status of the peregrini?

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

They are free men, but without many of the rights of the roman citizens: they can't arrive to be elected and so.

But the vast majority of roma empire's population were peregrini! :lol: