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Quiz about Life Through The Eyes of a Roman Slave

Life Through The Eyes of a Roman Slave Quiz

Hello to all you free boys and girls. My name is Cassia and I live in Rome. I'm a slave and my master and mistress have permitted me to write this quiz about slavery in ancient Rome.

A multiple-choice quiz by ElusiveDream. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
ElusiveDream

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
343,752

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
424

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. If they want to buy a slave, how much would a wealthy Roman usually be asked to pay? Hint

3000 denarii

Between 2000 and 6000 denarii

8000 denarii

It depended on the gender of the slave

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which of the following jobs would general household slaves be expected to do? Hint

Tidy the garden

Help their master/mistress get dressed

Prepare the day's meals

All of them

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Question 3 of 10

3. If a slave gets married and starts a family, their children will automatically become slaves.

True

False

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Question 4 of 10

4. How can a slave earn his/her freedom? Hint

By earning a large amount of money

Slaves are free when they reach 50 years of age

By receiving an official government pardon

They have to be released by their master/mistress

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Question 5 of 10

5. What do slaves wear? Hint

Cheap and simple clothes

Fancy shirts and pants

Nothing, they walk around naked

Black swimsuits

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Question 6 of 10

6. What name is given to a public slave? Hint

Servus publicus

Servir public

Servio publicus

Servette publico

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Question 7 of 10

7. Most gladiators were slaves.

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. What happens to slaves who try to escape? Hint

They end up in prison

Nothing

They are punished

They are executed

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Question 9 of 10

9. How many slaves exist in Rome at any one time? Hint

13,000

71,000

40,000

88,000

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Question 10 of 10

10. What name is given to a freed slave? Hint

Libertum

Libre

Libertus

Libero

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. If they want to buy a slave, how much would a wealthy Roman usually be asked to pay?

Answer: It depended on the gender of the slave

The denarius (plural denarii) is the currency of ancient Rome.

Male slaves are more expensive than female slaves mainly because male slaves are more likely to have some form of education.

My master bought me for 5000 denarii.

2. Which of the following jobs would general household slaves be expected to do?

Answer: All of them

Including myself, there are six slaves in my villa and we all have many jobs to do during the day. Every morning we help our master and mistress get dressed. We also clean the villa, keep the garden tidy, take the children to school and prepare the day's meals.

A villa is a fairly large ancient Roman house.

3. If a slave gets married and starts a family, their children will automatically become slaves.

Answer: True

Some slave parents choose to kill their children rather than watch them being sold at the slave markets.

However, the children of slaves who've been granted their freedom are born with full Roman citizenship.

4. How can a slave earn his/her freedom?

Answer: They have to be released by their master/mistress

Since I'm not paid for the work that I do, the only way I can earn my freedom is if my master and mistress choose to give it to me.

Another way to set a slave free is for their master or mistress to add the slave's name to the Census list.

5. What do slaves wear?

Answer: Cheap and simple clothes

The vast majority of slaves wear the cheapest and most simple clothing. However, when they first arrive at the slave markets, they're usually wearing nothing but a sign displaying their sale price around their necks.

6. What name is given to a public slave?

Answer: Servus publicus

Not all slaves are owned by private individuals. Some are owned by the public. Public slaves work in temples and other public buildings. They are also allowed to earn money for their work.

7. Most gladiators were slaves.

Answer: True

Known as gladiators, some slaves are forced to fight against wild animals or other slaves, simply to provide entertainment for free citizens. Unfortunately, these fights usually result in someone being killed.

8. What happens to slaves who try to escape?

Answer: They are punished

If an escaped slave is caught, they are severely punished, either by being whipped, burnt with a hot iron rod or sometimes even being killed. Occasionally the master of an escaped slave will offer a reward if the escaped slave is caught and returned to them alive.

9. How many slaves exist in Rome at any one time?

Answer: 40,000

About 30% of Rome's population is made up of slaves.

10. What name is given to a freed slave?

Answer: Libertus

The act of releasing a slave is called 'manumissio' which means 'sending out from the hand'. It's usually a public event.

Source: Author ElusiveDream

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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