Captured women and children

[jc02005]

What would child and a women do when they are captured by the Romans during war


regards
john

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

Captured women and children would most likely be sold into slavery. The was common practice in ancient times in most cultures (Romans, Greek etc.). Thucidydes for example states this in the ancient Greece.

EDIT: wow, same time!

[Praefectusclassis]

Well, assuming they'd survive the initial massacre, the most likely result is that they'd become part of the loot, as slaves.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Scream, cry, wail. Small children would cling to their parents or older syblings, perhaps shocked mute.....it would not be a good experience.. hock:

[Hugh Fuller]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but women and girl children of a certain age (perhaps boys as well) would be subject to rape as well as to being sold into slavery.

[PMBardunias]

If I knew there were captive women, I'd have gotten into reinactment by now. 8)

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Hence the screamin, crying and wailing....

[Nerva]

The opposite to what modern women and children do...shut the eff up and do what their told hock:

[jc02005]

I think that there way of treating captured prisoners are cruel to the future life.Cause what ever the child learn from when they are young they do the same to there future child.

[Aetius Helvius Merula]

Yes, but you have to remember that the concept of human rights, that we have today, didn't exist as we know it. As Brennus put it, vae victis-woe to the conquered. And it wasn't just the Romans; as others have noted those were brutal and bloody times in which other nations did the same thing.

Not saying it's a good thing, because it isn't. I sure wouldn't want my womenfolk suffering such fates even if I did live then.

[jc02005]

I think people treating back in those days are the ways that they learnt through there family history passed on but how did it change??

[Memmia]

The opposite to what modern women and children do...shut the eff up and do what their told hock:

Very true....

Modern women:


:lol:

[Memmia]

I think people treating back in those days are the ways that they learnt through there family history passed on but how did it change??

Was Christianity a major factor ? :?

[Tarbicus]

Was Christianity a major factor ? :?

I don't believe it was except in Christianity's view of bondage maybe altering certain attitudes, but the ceasing of expansion into new territories might have had more to do with the reduction in the acquisition of new slaves. The Church and priests had slaves, at least. I believe slave prices rose so high that it became cheaper to hire people instead? We certainly see a shift to a feudal system. IIRC household slaves became so expensive it made no financial sense to treat them badly, but I dare say those put to working in mining, etc, would be a lot cheaper. Do bear in mind slaves put to work in e.g. the 17th/18th century European sugar industries suffered horrendously (sugar refinement was a highly dangerous process), so pointing the finger at the ancients is a bit moot IMHO.

One instance, which even shocked many Romans, of extreme maltreatment of prisoners of war would have been the sack of Carthage. Does anyone know if it's true all men were killed, and all of the remaining women and children put into slavery but only after their tongues were cut out so that the Carthaginian language would never be heard again?

Also, war atrocities are not just an ancient phenomenon. We tend not to hear too much of this aspect of war, but no matter the time period or location, anything describing these ancient horrific acts is most certainly seen in the world today if only on a smaller scale, even in Europe (think of the fall of Berlin when the Soviet army was allowed to do what it wanted, and women were systematically raped on a daily basis).

For more info on this worst aspect of war;
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/Researc ... rfare.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/war_rape.htm

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I doubt slaves were totaly abused by all. As Jim says, a well educated one was worth his weight in gold....
I say his because they didn't have modern woman in them there days Memmia :wink:

Mind you, I am sure some of them were worth 'her ' weight in gold too... 8)