slaves were forced to work the land for the wealthy landowners in rome.
slaves were forced to work the land for the wealthy landowners in rome.
who was forced to work the land for the wealthy landowners in rome?
slaves
many scholars who needed additional funds for education or vied for political office found farming as a decent profession which, although humble, was not looked down upon by fellow gentrymen. wealthy nobles, officials, and merchants could own land, but they often did not cultivate it themselves and merely acted as absentee landlords while living in the city. they mostly relied on poor tenant farmers ("diannong" 佃農) who paid rent in the form of roughly fifty percent of their produce in exchange for land, tools, draft animals, and a small house. wage laborers ("gunong" 雇農) and slaves were also employed on the estates of the wealthy, although they were not as numerous as tenants. during western han, the small independent owner-cultivator represented the majority of farming peasants, yet their economic struggle to remain independent during times of war, natural disaster and crisis drove many into debt, banditry, slavery, and dramatically increased the number of landless tenants by late eastern han. the social status of poor independent owner-cultivators was above tenants and wage laborers, yet below that of wealthy landowners. while wealthy landowners employed tenants and wage laborers, landowners who managed small to medium-sized estates often acted as managers over their sons who tilled the fields and daughters who weaved clothes and engaged in sericulture to produce silk for the home or sale at market.
society and culture of the han dynasty
officials at the court of emperor ai of han (r. 7–1 bc) attempted to implement reforms limiting the amount of land nobles and wealthy landowners could own legally, but were unsuccessful. when wang mang took control of the government in 9 ad, he abolished the purchase and sale of land in a system called king's fields (王田). this was a variation of the well-field system, where the government owned the land and assured every peasant an equal share to cultivate. within three years, complaints from wealthy landowners and nobles forced wang mang to repeal the reform. after gengshi (r. 23–25 ad) and guangwu (r. 25–57 ad) restored the han dynasty, they relied on the service of great landholding families to secure their position in society. many of their government officials also became wealthy landowners.
economy of the han dynasty