How expensive were slaves in ancient Rome?

Considering how 40% of the population of Italia were slaves, the average slave wasn't too expensive. Unlike the colonial americas, slaves were far easier to obtain. Slaves came from all over the empire. read more

The cost of slaves varied according to the laws of supply and demand. When Rome grew by conquest, slaves were abundant and relatively inexpensive. When conquests stopped, the price of slaves rose and slaves were treated better so that they would have children, who would be born slaves. read more

Slaves were very important to the Romans. Without slaves, the wealthy of Rome would not have been able to lead the lifestyles that they wanted to. read more

Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the economy. Besides manual labor, slaves performed many domestic services, and might be employed at highly skilled jobs and professions. read more