Paying the penalty for rebellion.
After a harrowing sea voyage in the fetid, putrid hold of a slave merchant's vessel, Eros and Chrysos and their brothers in misfortune arrive at the port of Ostia.
Here, no time is wasted in unloading and shackling them into a coffle ready for the short journey to Rome's graecostadium slave-market. Word of their arrival has preceded them to Rome and already potential buyers are gathering eager to examine so much new, male slave-flesh.
Roman demand for slaves is insatiable; especially for newly enslaved prisoners of war or those taken as"rebels" as is the case with Eros and Chrysos. The slave-dealers have widely publicised this latest shipment of slaves are among the best they have ever handled and consist of strong, healthy, young males all in the primest of condition who are available for inspection and examination before mounting the auction-block.
This has aroused the interest of both the genuine buyer and the lecherous voyeurs - who have no intention of buying but merely to satisfy their lascivious lust with unrestricted, hands-on, close inspections of the hapless new slaves' naked bodies.
Under Roman law, a slave is classified as "res" meaning "a thing" or more precisely he is called "res mortalis" - or a mortal thing. For the purposes of insurance, a Roman slave doesn't sustain injury; rather he is a damaged object. This robs the new slave of his humanity and reduces him to the status of being subhuman. And now, this is the condition of both Eros and Chrysos.
Both are unaware of the indignities and degradation that await them as Rome's newest slaves. Over the next few days their nude bodies will be assailed and abused in ways they could never have imagined. Under the whips of the slavers, they will stand passively as they are minutely examined. Over time, they will learn the difference of being evaluated by the genuine buyer looking to buy a muscle slave to labour in the fields, mines, quarries and construction sites and the lecherous, lewd voyeurs who abuse their young bodies for their own sexual gratification.
The genuine slave-buyer will poke, prod, pinch and probe as he ascertains the slave's physical strengths; whereas the lechers will sexually exploit the slave's naked body for his own erotic pleasure. And both Eros and Chrysos will be powerless to stop them for fear of the whip.
They are paying a heavy penalty for rebelling against Rome's authority!
Art for this is by Baron and is one of my absolute favourites. But then his works never disappoint! The text is mine.
My great and very dear Chris,
ReplyDeleteI’m very much enraptured and excited to the utmost by this continuation of the “adventures” through their slavery of the new slaves and close fellows Chrysos and Eros.
I find this second part, dealing with the arrival and sale of the two young and valiant captured warriors in the most important Slave Market of Rome, even more powerfully thrilling and marvelous than the first one……. even more because your magnificent text is coupled with the incomparable Art of Baron ! …. And I agree with you, this vision of a Roman Slave Market is one of his highest masterpieces.
In the extreme abjection and humiliation of their forced suffering, in a totally passive and unresisting way, even the most degrading, invasive, offending and obscene body inspections and scrutinies by countless brutal Roman hands and fingers …… both Chrysos and Eros, will start to understand, even before their sale and the real starting of their life as slaves …… the immensurable abjection of slavery and the immense and insurmountable abyss that for ever separates a slave (and OBJECT as you rightly emphasize) from a free man !
Thank you for this new wonderful new part.
Allow me to add two short strictly historical comments.
First, you rightly underline that –due to the easiness and “normality” by which in Roman Slave Markets buyers could perform even the most thorough and obscene body scrutinies and inspections on the nude bodies of male and female slaves displayed for sale - obviously those markets were full also of myriads of libidinous “idlers” –most often very poor and old lustful men who could have never afforded to buy one of those gorgeous young slaves that they demanded to bodily inspect, pretending of having the intention of buying- just for having some sexual arousal and for somehow satisfying their unsatisfied lust.
As you magnificently say: “Lecherous voyeurs - who have no intention of buying but merely to satisfy their lascivious lust with unrestricted, hands-on, close inspections of the hapless new slaves' naked bodies.”
As documented by several Latin sources these very numerous time-wasters were the main “nightmare” for Roman slave-traders and merchants tried all possible ways for recognizing them in advance and chase them from their stores and auction-blocks as soon as possible, before that those loathsome lewd crooks could put their dirty hands on the gorgeous, displayed bodies of the most beautiful young men and girls. But unfortunately this was not always possible.
Karel
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ReplyDeleteSecond historical observation. It was not always true that the immediate most visible difference between a “genuine buyer” and a “faked pretending lewd voyeur ” was that the fact that “THE LECHEROUS, LEWD VOYEURS WHO ABUSE THE SLAVES’ YOUNG BODIES FOR THEIR OWN SEXUAL GRATIFICATION.” were interested in primarily feel and examine the genitals and the most intimate parts of the young slaves’ bodies (e.g. the tightness and virginity of their anus for beautiful young males).
Or better, THIS WAS TRUE and it was an important element of distinction if the inspection was limited just to the genitals and anus …… but often it was not a sufficient criterion for immediately distinguish a genuine buyer from a fake voyeur.
Or at least this did not mean that even the genuine buyers did not thoroughly inspect, in the most invasive and humiliating ways ALSO the genitals of the young slaves on sale.
In fact even genuine buyers who, as you say when buying young muscle slaves to labour in the fields, mines, quarries and construction sites were certainly first of all interested in examining and checking the mass, hardness and strength of the slave’s muscles.
But after that also genuine buyers –even when they were not primarily interested in using the slave also for sexual scopes- ALWAYS carefully inspected also his genital apparatus !
This was done not only for excluding the presence of hidden diseases, but even more for the importance that for many Roman slave-owners had the very profitable BREEDING of slaves.
So for a new young and handsome male slave, besides his massive hard muscles and his physical strength and resistance to the hardest labours ……. it was very much important for the new Master check his ability to become also a good “breeding stallion” capable of “mounting” many beautiful “mares” and of generating for the further profits of his Roman Master, many and many new healthy, strong and beautiful little slaves. Just for historical accuracy.
Again thanks for this second marvelous and very exciting post of the adventures of Chrysos and Eros
Karel