SERVO, ser'-vi, slaves. I. Among the ROMANS, persons might become slaves by their mother being a slave at the time of their birth, by being taken in war, or as a punishment for heinous offences. The slaves had no personal or political rights, and could not contract a regular marriage, but only a contiibernium, with another slave, the offspring being venue ; and for any wrong done to or by a slave, satis faction was due to or by his master, who also could seize any property (pCiilium) he accu mulated. A great slave trade wts carried on under the Empire, and enormous sums were given for accomplished slaves, and le...fore the close of the Republic their numbers became very formidable, and they maintained a bloody revolt (the Servile wars) against the Romans, under Eunus and Athenio in Sicily, 135-532 B.C, and 103-99, and under Sparfficus, with the gladiators, in Italy, 73-71. The Romans divided the slaves into those on their country estates, familia rustica, and those employed for domestic purposes, f eimillezurbeina. Slaves were often let out by their masters to work at trades, and much money was made by educating them and then selling them or setting them up in a profession. Their wzrinimissio was effected in three ways ;—(x) Vindicter, when the slave, accompanied by his master, appeared before the prmtor, and a third person laid a rod on his head and claimed him as a free man ; his master turned the slave three times round and gave him a slight blow on the cheek and the prmtor then pronounced him free. (2) Censte, by the mere act of his master returning his name as that of civis to the censor. (3) Testatneato, or jier fidel
COMIlliSSUM, the freedom being bequeathed by his master's will. (4) The Senate occasionally bestowed freedom on meritorious slaves. And (5) there were also various informal modes of liberation, as by the master pronouncing him free in the presence of witnesses or bya letter, or by allowing him to sit at table with him ; but in this case the slave's freedom was less secure. A freedman, called libertus in relation to his master, and tibertinits in relation to his social position, took the nomen and prmnomen of his master, his previous appellation being now his cognomen, and was bound to his master; like the old client (see PLEBS) to his patron. Freedmen were confined to the four city tribes till Appius Claudius, 3t2 a.c., dispersed them among all : they were nominally eligible to all offices. 2. In the best days of Arttaxs, her slaves, whose condition was much the same as among the Romans, constituted nearly two-thirds of the population ; their masters were forbidden to put them to death, and in case of gross cruelty they might demand to be resold. When emancipated by the state or their masters, they occupied the same position as the Me7ceci (foreign residents), their former master being now their 35eztran. A special armed police, called the Scythian, or archer-guard(eoEoeal), composed of slaves, guarded the Agora and the Areopflgus. 3. For the SPARTAN sfaves, see Hatos.