These little piggies went to market:

For the purposes of insurance against loss or theft, slaves are quite rightly classified as livestock and the farmer makes no distinction between a slave or any other of his domestic farm animals. Slaves exist solely as beasts-of-burden to supply the muscle power to enrich their owners

The city-dweller is familiar with the glitzy slave-emporiums that deal exclusively with the buying and selling of slaves. However, in small, rural communities such places don't exist and the farmer must make do with the periodic market-days where farm produce and animals - including slaves - are sold at the municipal sale-yards.

 There, all livestock, cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, poultry and slaves are displayed and sold separately in adjacent pens. Usually, the animals are penned early in the morning where they are available for the farmers' inspections for several hours before being sold at auction.

These sale-yards are situated just out of town so that the dust raised as the animals move restlessly around their pens under the buyers' scrutiny, together with the unavoidable smell of their close confinement doesn't assail the town residents' nostrils. After all, the penning of so many animals over a number of hours can become  quite nauseous.

Unlike city dwellers, farmers are, of necessity, very thrifty and over the years they have learnt to minimise their costs and here we see a local carrier transporting a local farmer's consignment of surplus livestock to today's sale. Rather than use two trucks - one for the hogs and a second for the slaves - the wily farmer has opted to hire just one truck and to carry the slaves and hogs to market as one consignment thus halving his transportation costs.

The farmer is to be commended for his thriftiness in keeping his costs to a minimum which benefits all of us in lower prices at the supermarket.

You really need to look closely at the truck to distinguish the slaves from the hogs - surely a sign of a slave's true animal status.

Both slaves and hogs are heading to the same destination - the municipal sale-yards - but their fates couldn't be more different. No doubt, the final destination for the hogs is a bacon factory while for the slaves it will be unrelenting labour under the whip of a new master.

Picture found on the internet and source unknown. The text is mime.

Slaves in movies 

I have always been interested in peplum style movies. As an impressionable young teenager, I was always turned on by the "swords and sandals"movies that portrayed muscular heroes scantily clad in the briefest of loincloths. I have always felt these movies were surreptitiously made for a gay audience at a time when society wasn't as open o homosexuality as it is today. Certainly, i had many "guilty" pleasures from watching these movies. 

Searching back through my files, I discovered a small collection of movie stills that portray slaves and historically this one in particular interests me.

It is from a movie, "The Sign of the Cross" made in 1932 with a very young Charles Laughton playing the part of the emperor, Nero. Of course, my interest was more focused on the near naked slave serving Nero, the actor, George Bruggeman who is probably long forgotten now as he died in 1967 after an acting career of many years. 

George was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1904 and first worked in California as a lifeguard at a private club so I have no doubt he was shirtless on many occasions. This picture doesn't really do him credit; his physique and fitness was much more impressive. In 1934, George once again acted the part of a semi-naked slave this time to Cleopatra. 

George also played a major role in the early Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller. George "doubled" for Weissmuller in the  scenes where Tarzan was swinging from tree to tree. Next time you see an old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movie you will also see George Bruggeman albeit at a distance. 

During the making of one Tarzan movie, an elephant attacked a group of dwarf actors and George stepped in to save them. Sadly, one of the dwarf actors was killed but George saved the others. However, this left him with a serious back injury which stayed with him for the remainder of is life.

George featured in many movies as well as television series. These include such well-known series as Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, Ironside, Laredo, Mannix to name just s few.

However, for me, George Bruggeman will always be remembered as Nero's near naked slave in the 1932 movie.

Picture found on the internet. The text is mine.

 Thank you, Pote!

One of my recent posts, "Choosing and buying a slave in ancient Rome" prompted the talented artist, Pote,who specialises in BDSM drawings, to make his own visual interpretation of my post which resulted in the above drawing of a young, blond, barbarian slave being subjected to inspection prior to being bought by a lecherous, old Roman patrician.

I like what this drawing suggests and most probably it is nearer to reality than my own post portrayed. 

Here, a slave-overseer has forced the new slave to his knees with his ass elevated and ready for the older Roman to "try before he buys".

I have no doubt this was a familiar scene in the slave-markets of ancient Rome especially for the rich and privileged. In fact, there was a special, exclusive market reserved for them and closed to the plebeians where only the primest slaves were offered for sale.

I thank Pote for his drawing and I am honoured by his compliment. Perhaps, one day, we might have the chance to co-operate on another post. 

Once again, thank you, Pote,

Regards, 

Chris

NOTE: Pote's works can be found on his blog at http://bdsmmaledrawings.blogspot.com/

 The consequences are dire.

Any slave who who shows resentment, disrespect, disobedience or an under-performance of his duties should expect to - and will - be punished by his owner

These two slaves - acting out of a sense of rebellion and despite repeated warnings - have consistently and deliberately not met their allocated work quotas and have earned the ire of their master.

Exasperated by their continued defiance, he has ordered they be flogged. Each is to receive thirty strokes of the lash and here we see them strung up ready for their whippings.

And as can be seen the whip is heavy and will cut deep into their exposed flesh.

Soon those looks of defiance will turn into masks of fear and pain as the heavy whip leaves their exposed backs welted and bloodied while they scream and writhe in agony. After the fifth stoke of the lash, they will loudly plead for mercy. However, they have exhausted their master's patience and there will be no reprieve from the whip's caress.

Even after they are cut down, their punishment is incomplete for their master has no use for under-performing slaves and has sold them to a quarry owner. There, with their wills broken, they will spend the rest of their miserable existences working naked and in chains as they swing heavy sledge-hammers chiselling slabs of building stone from the rock-face.

As they do so, they will, no doubt, wish they were back working in the fields of their former master's plantation.

Meanwhile their former owner will visit the slave-market and buy replacements or them. The slave-pens are full of complacent, obedient slaves who all too eager to please their masters.

Take heed slaves! Your masters hold the whip-hand. You must submit to their wills and please them in all things otherwise you too could suffer the fate of these two wretches.

Picture found on the internet. The text is mine.

 Choosing and buying a slave in ancient Rome

As a young, somewhat effete Roman patrician, there is nothing I enjoy more than trawling through the city's slave-markets seeking out the newly arrived livestock. I particularly like strong,muscular barbarians and enjoy the power I have over them as they kneel with their hands tied behind their backs.

I note the anger and frustration in their eyes at their inability to protest. But I also see fear there as they contemplate their futures as slaves of Rome and the fear of awful punishment that awaits them at the smallest sign of rebellion.

I am interested in this particular slave; a barbarian from Hispania I am told. Slaves from that region are reputed to be hard to break but that doesn't deter me. I will enjoy breaking this slave's spirit and bending him to my will.

But first things first! Before I buy him, I must see more of him. I will order the slave-dealer to strip him of his loincloth so that my hands can roam at will over his nakedness gauging the power of his body and the strength of his muscles. Naturally, I will pay attention to his cock and balls before I command him to turn with his back to me and to "bend and spread" his ass cheeks so that I can assess if he will suit my special needs. I do love to fuck slaves who are bigger and stronger than me.

And if he does, I will buy him and have him delivered to my home where he'll be cleaned  and made ready for my bedchamber.

Slavery is a wonderful institution and we Romans support it wholeheartedly

This is a scene from the TV series Spartacus. However, the text is mine.

 

Pompeii

Pompeii never ceases to amaze me or to disappoint me. I have visited on several occasions and there is always some new discovery to interest me.

In a recent excavation in a previously uncovered part of the city, this fresco was discovered under a stairwell of what was a tavern and graphically shows the end of a gladiatorial contest. The defeated gladiator, most probably a slave, has asked the munerarius (sponsor) of the games to stop the fight by raising his finger in "missus" and to send him alive from the arena. If he hadn't fallen during the bout, the gladiator could be sent from the arena "stans missus" (sent away still standing). Ultimately, it will be for the spectators to decide the loser's fate of life or death as the the game's editor looked to them for guidance. Thus, we learn a little more about the life of a gladiator and catch another glimpse of the brutal existence of a slave in ancient Roman society.

Incidentally, the tavern is thought to have been frequented by Pompeii's gladiators and the rooms in the upper level served as a brothel for their use. No doubt, the prostitutes which could have been either male or female, were also slaves.

Comment:

One of the things I have always enjoyed is the interaction with my readers and it is something I have always encouraged. Your comments to my posts are always welcome and I look forward to receiving them.

However, of late, there have been a number of inappropriate comments made on some of my posts that bear no relevance to them and I have deleted them. And in an effort to dissuade the person responsible, I turned off the comments function in the hope he'd stop.

Yesterday, I turned on the comments function giving everyone the chance to comment once again if they wished to do so. However, overnight, another inappropriate comment was posted which I have just now deleted. 

Regretfully, I have now turned of the comments function. I did so with great reluctance but in the hope that the person responsible would take the hint and and desist from his inane posts.

Regards, 
Chris

Damascus, 1291 (After the Fall of Acre)

On 6 April, 1291, the Mamluk sultan Al-Ashraf Khahil besieged the Christian city of Acre which fell into his hands on 18 May thus effectively ending the Crusades.

As the Muslims swarmed through the city's breached walls, panic stricken citizen fled to the harbour desperately seeking passage from the inevitable mayhem they knew would follow. It is recorded five hundred noble ladies and young women, fearful of rape and enslavement came down to the seashore, when the city was about to fall, carrying with them priceless jewels and gold ornaments and begged the fleeing sailors to take them to safety. 

Roger de Flor, a mercenary commander and Knight Templar made his enormous fortune from selling passage to to the fleeing nobles and their families.

For the poor and less fortunate citizens of Acre, there was no escaping the slaughter, rape and enslavement by the victorious Muslims. 

The last remaining Templars defended their fortress for another ten days but eventually it too fell to the sultan's forces and all the Knights Templar were killed.

News of the Mamluk victory was the cause of great celebration in Damascus and Cairo. The victorious Sultan entered Damascus to a jubilant reception with his Crusader prisoners in chains and their captured Crusader standards carried upside-down in humiliating defeat.

What happened to those Christian prisoners? I suppose many were sold into slavery and ended their days in abject servitude under their new Muslim masters.

The above picture reminded me of the Fall of Acre and the fate of the Christian survivors. Perhaps many, as suggested by this picture, became the slaves of wealthy Muslims who used them for their sexual pleasure. In my imagination, the slave depicted in this picture - was a former Crusader I have named Tancrede - who now finds himself the plaything of a very demanding master. 

Here we see Tancrede being given the choice to submit to his ultimate humiliation or face the threat of his Master's knife and castration. After all, white, infidel eunuchs were in great demand in the slave-markets and fetched high prices.

The artwork is by one of my favourite artist, Madahv whose works always fire my imagination. The text is mine, however.