Freedmen occupied a complex and often problematic place in Roman society between slaves on the one hand and freeborn citizens on the other. Playing an extremely important role in the economic life of the Roman world, they were also a key instrument for replenishing and even increasing the size of the citizen body. This book presents an original synthesis, for the first time covering both Republic and Empire in a single volume. While providing up-to-date discussions of most significant aspects of the phenomenon, the book also offers a new understanding of the practice of manumission, its role in the organisation of slave labour and the Roman economy, as well as the deep-seated ideological concerns to which it gave rise. It locates the freedman in a broader social and economic context, explaining the remarkable popularity of manumission in the Roman world.

What Does Liberty Mean for a Freedman? Calabar was brought from Africa to North-Carolina as a boy and sold on the docks as chattel property to a plantation owner. On the plantation, he learned the intricacies of indigo production, fell in love, and started a family. Abruptly released from bondage, he must find his way in a society that has no place for him, but which is itself struggling with the threat of British domination. Reeling from personal griefs, and drawn into the chaos of the Revolution, Calabar knows that the wrong moves could cost him his freedom—and that of the nation. The Freedman is set in North-Carolina as part of the Tales From a Revolution series, in which each standalone novel examines the American War of Independence as it unfolded in a different colony. If you like stories of strong characters striving to overcome impossible challenges, you’ll love The Freedman. Grab your copy of The Freedman today and see how the American Revolution’s promise of liberty was not always kept!

In this study, Lauren Petersen critically investigates the notion of 'freedman art' in scholarship.

This engaging work of historical fiction will be enjoyed by adults and younger readers alike.