Analyze the Roman Empire under the Pax Romana (27 BCE - 180 CE) — including daily life across classes, Roman religion (polytheism + emperor cult + later spread of Christianity), Roman engineering (roads, aqueducts, concrete), AND Roman chattel slavery honestly per Walter Scheidel: ~30-40% of Italian population enslaved at the Pax Romana peak — the largest slave society of ancient Mediterranean
Exercise
Difficulty 5
~8 min
hist.g6.f.ex_41
Structured Writing
Prompt
Write a 5-sentence HUMANITY-FIRST + RESILIENCE-FIRST paragraph on Roman slavery. Name the humanity of enslaved Romans FIRST. Then name (a) one specific named individual (e.g., Spartacus, Pasion the banker as freedman); (b) one documented act of resistance (Third Servile War 73-71 BCE); (c) one form of manumission. Distinguish from later transatlantic chattel slavery.
How it's presented
mode
text
Answer criteria
type
rubric scored writing
rubric
3 stars: Humanity-FIRST opening + 3 specific elements named + Resilience-FIRST throughout + distinguishes from transatlantic chattel slavery (racialization difference + hereditary-status difference + manumission frequency difference). 2 stars: 3 of 4. 1 star: 2. 0: <2.
Hints
- Spartacus led the Third Servile War 73-71 BCE.
- Pasion the banker was a manumitted enslaved Greek who became a wealthy Athenian-equivalent citizen.
Misconceptions to watch
- Failing to name humanity FIRST
- Conflating Roman with transatlantic chattel slavery
Used in lessons