Roman Slavery and Race

The Romans had a racial politics?

The Roman people are not judged on the basis of skin color, but on the basis of civilization. A barbarous people were named as the culture in the eyes of the Romans was primitive - regardless of skin color. Thus, highly developed nations as the Egyptians as almost equivalent to the Romans' because their culture at the same level. Some Egyptians were Ethiopian roots and dark. Yet it was possible for people of both nations to get a job as a civil servant, teacher, musician and even General.

Anyone could thus reach the top in the Roman Empire. Even when slavery was no distinction. Each vanquished nation, from the Greeks to the Germans, was a Roman slave. Black slaves from Nubia were popular because they were physically strong and workers were seen as valuable.