Analysis Of The Economic Activities Of Roman Freedmen Under The Protection Of Patrons (200 BC To 180 AD)

From the late Roman Republic to the early Empire,significant changes occurred in economic,social,political,and cultural aspects.The manumission system made significant progress.The number of freedmen increased rapidly.They participated in various industries,especially economic industries,permitted by law.Patrons played an indispensable role in the process of the freedmen’s economic talents.The freedman economy under the patronage of patrons had a profound impact on the late Roman Republic and early Empire.In the late Roman Republic,the six basic sources of slavery included war,piracy and kidnapping,debt,self sale,reproduction,and abandoned infants.In the early days of the empire,the sources were mainly abandoned infants,self sale,debt bondage,and reproduction.In addition to these traditional sources of slavery,there were also two other forms of slavery:criminal convictions and slave trade with tribes along the imperial border.Ability,not location,was the most important determinant of manumission.The reasons for manumission were reflected in economic and other reasons.The mechanism of manumission was divided into formal manumission and informal manumission.After the manumission,they obtained a new identity as freedmen,and the slave owners transformed into patrons,providing a social presence for the freedmen.The environment in which freedmen engaged in economic activities was characterized by significant economic and social changes from the late Roman Republic to the early Empire,the inherent beliefs and profit seeking social customs of the elite,the living conditions of the common people,and the opportunities for freedmen.In the handicraft industry,the freedmen managers in the mass production industry organized and managed means of production and labor force in the factory on behalf of the patrons.The freedmen employees in the small workshop production industry helped patrons meet the unstable market demand.Freedmen as an "independent" operator increased the patron’s income and honor.In the commercial field,the freedmen and the patrons participated in trade together,acted as the patron’s agent to participate in trade,or "independently" engaged in trade.Trade capital usually came from the patron,and the freedmen were often in the same situation as before manumission.The entire agency behavior of the freedmen reduced the uncontrollable risks in the patron’s commercial trade.The relationship between the freedmen and their patrons was often a mutually beneficial and friendly one,and the key to the success of the freedmen was the patronage of the patrons.Under the patronage of the patrons,the freedmen were active in the entire handicraft and commercial fields.From an economic perspective,the economic activities of freedmen suppressed market demand and affected the labor market at that time.From a social perspective,it changed the family and social lifestyle of the Romans.From a political perspective,preserving political privileges for patrons increased the bargaining chip.From a cultural perspective,it achieved the inheritance of civilization.