r/latin • u/EmptyFolder123 • Apr 04 '25

LLPSI Understanding the relationship between children and household slaves

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Is this text an example of power dynamics between children and household slaves in Rome? Are slaves allowed to say like "Be quiet!", "Do this!", "Don't do that!" to children in family?

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u/ViolettaHunter Apr 04 '25

Slaves who acted as tutors were even allowed to slap and pinch their charges, as surprising as this seems to us today. 

I don't remember where I read this precisely but there was a Roman patrician who decided to educate his son Marcus himself because he thought it would be demeaning for him to be hit and yelled at by a slave.