Lucius the Dwarf Seller might not sell only dwarfs, but he’s the one all the other slave traders know will pay a good price for any dwarfs they buy. After all, it’s a much narrower clientele seeking dwarf slaves than slaves of ordinary height, and ancient trade is all about who you know and what connections you have.
I’m actually not aware of any direct evidence of specialized dwarf sellers in ancient Rome, but I do know that there were slave traders who specialized in certain kinds of slaves, and that dwarfs were in high-enough demand that their import from outside of the Empire is noted, making it likely that there were such specialized slave traders.
Fun, or not-so-fun, fact: even in Rome, a society deeply intertwined with slavery, slave traders were regarded as the scum of the earth.
That last paragraph is the case in every slave society I’ve heard of. People may buy their wares, but they know it’s all monstrous and a whole lot of the culture becomes a means for slave owners to convince themselves they’re less evil than they are
tbf, some societies simply embrace the monstrousness of it, like the Spartans.
But yes, most societies, especially as philosophical and political thought develops, end up with an increasing tension between the cruel realities of slave ownership and their own self-image.
Lucius the Dwarf Seller might not sell only dwarfs, but he’s the one all the other slave traders know will pay a good price for any dwarfs they buy. After all, it’s a much narrower clientele seeking dwarf slaves than slaves of ordinary height, and ancient trade is all about who you know and what connections you have.
I’m actually not aware of any direct evidence of specialized dwarf sellers in ancient Rome, but I do know that there were slave traders who specialized in certain kinds of slaves, and that dwarfs were in high-enough demand that their import from outside of the Empire is noted, making it likely that there were such specialized slave traders.
Fun, or not-so-fun, fact: even in Rome, a society deeply intertwined with slavery, slave traders were regarded as the scum of the earth.
That last paragraph is the case in every slave society I’ve heard of. People may buy their wares, but they know it’s all monstrous and a whole lot of the culture becomes a means for slave owners to convince themselves they’re less evil than they are
tbf, some societies simply embrace the monstrousness of it, like the Spartans.
But yes, most societies, especially as philosophical and political thought develops, end up with an increasing tension between the cruel realities of slave ownership and their own self-image.