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JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
In latin Romantic poetry we have several examples, that many
Romans found black women very attractive and that black
skinned women became often objects of love poems. In Ovid
Sappho says, that even Andromeda, with a touch of colour from
her native Ethiopia, enchanted Perseus with her beauty (Ov. Her.
15.35-38). Another example can be Asclepiades, who says, that
in front of beauty of Didyme, he melts like vax in front of fire,
although her skin has colour of coal (Anth. Pal. 5.121). Even
Martial claims, that he was chased by girl white as ebony, but he
was attracted to one, who was darker than ant or tar (Mart.
1.115).
5 Conclusion
Let's have a look now, on how and when the blacks got to Rome.
Probably one of the oldest literary reference of blacks in Italy is
description of a nurse in comedy Poenulus (Pl. Poen. 5.2.154) by
Plautus. Another reference is by Terentius (Ter. Eu. 165-167) - in
his work he talks about black slave woman, himself being of
uncertain origin. These come from end of third century BC and
first half of second century BC and by itself don't necessarily
mean, that that there was any significant number of black slaves
in Rome – but it cannot be ruled out either. During campaign of
Hannibal Barca in Second punic war (218 – 201 BC) we can
safely assume, that in his army and thus in Italy was present
number of black skinned troops. From same time dates emission
of bronze coins with head of black person on the obverse and
with depiction of Hannibal's elephants on the reverse side. These
coins were minted in Etruria and were probably used to suply
Hannibal's Italian allies (SELTMAN, 1960, 250; SNOWDEN,
1947, 284). After the war many slaves are „imported“ to Rome –
one example can be Terentius himself and we can safely assume,
that among them a large number of blacks were present. In the
era of principate the references of blacks inside empire increase.
It is nothing to be surprised about, if we think about Roman
presence and activity in Africa. Based on all to us known ancient
sources, literary, epigraphical, numismatic, artistic or
archaeological, we can state, that presence of black skinned
people was not an exeption in Roman Empire
(SNOWDEN,
1947, 250). Although there are no specific statistics, we have
sufficient evidence to assume, that number of blacks within
Roman population was greater than it is today generally
supposed (BARROW, 2010, 208-229; DUFF, 1928, 1-11).
The position of slave was, at least during beginning of Roman
expansion into Mediterranean, most common status for black
people. It did not have to be and was not their only legal
occupation. Thanks to „globalization“ of Roman world,
immigration, freedmen and distribution of citizenship, it was
quite possible to meet full-Roman citizens of black skin colour.
Greeks and later Romans considered themselves ideal rulers of
others, because thanks to their good geographical origin, they
possess best mixture of traits. They are not only strong but also
smart enough, and are only ones who combine both in perfect
ratio. But their superiority is not given by their colour or by
affiliation to certain race. But by, in their own opinions, living in
ideal climatic and geographic conditions. We can say, that
because of this, Romans were not racists in sense, in which this
term is understood today. Of course, we can see in many
occasions, that black inhabitans of the Empire were targets of
ridicule or criticism. Black colour is also connected with
negative symbolism and general population could be scared in
presence of men of other, darker, skin colour, especially, if they
never met someone similar before. In higher and more educated
society this prejudice was cast aside. Social status of parents,
property, one's own manners and charms were more important
here than colour of one's skin.
Romans did not have to excuse slave system based on better or
worse race as it was in colonial age. Many modern authors
understand „races“ in sense of cultures and times, which they
themselves come from and try to put them into context of their
own ideas of how it could have worked in Rome. It is to be
avoided, for very often it is misinterpretation based on one's own
personal conviction. In 19th century most authors were
persuaded, that Romans thought of oriental slaves as worse then
for example northern, because many British (and Europeans) in
that time saw oriental people as „inferior“. If we exaggerate a
little, we can label Romans as slavers of „equal opportunities“.
In choosing of slaves, they did not focus only on one gender or
place of origin or race. Slaves came from different religious,
legal and political background and Roman law did not see them
as human (at least for very long period). There ruled opinion in
society, that colour black is an omen of evil, death and disaster
(App. Bell. Civ. 4.134; Flor. Epit. 2.17.7-8; Plut. Brut. 48; H. A.
Sev. 22.4-5; Iuv. 5.53-54), nevertheless existence of such rumors
did not prevent Romans to come to contact with black skinned
people. By all accounts in Roman Empire colour of skin was not
an obsticle in acquiring citizenship or good social standing.
Romans themselves don't even have for racism or segregation
based on skin colour any term. Black slaves were treated in the
same way as any other slaves of any other colours were. Only on
accounts of Greek and Roman prejudice of quality of nations
based on place of origin, they could have been selected for
different professions. Against systematic aversion also testifies
absence of any law, that would prohibit marriages of Roman
citizens with people of black colour. And according to
archaeological and literary evidence, these marriages were not
unknown to Romans (Mart. 6.39.6-7; Iuv. 6.595-601; Flacc.
Decl. 2; Plin. Nat. 7.12.9).
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