How did roman occupations change during the late republic?

Answer 1

During the Late Republic there was an increase in slave labour, an increase in the number of craftsmen, a decrease in the number of peasant farmers and an increase in unemployment and poverty.

In antiquity slaves were enslaved war captives. Rome's wars of expansion created large numbers of captives who were sent to Rome to be sold as slaves. In the 2nd and1st century BC and the 1st century BC (Late Republic and Early Empire, intended as rule by emperors) Italy was flooded with slaves.

Most of the slaves were bought by the owners of large landed estates and worked in their fields. This abundant supply of labour enabled these landowners to greatly increase the size of their estates and their output. Increased commercial production of food for towns and agricultural commodities for trade (such as olives and olive oil, grapes and wine, wool and the like) made these men (most of whom were patricians) even richer.

The households of the rich also came to own many slaves who carried out domestic work and other jobs. Miners were slaves because this job was considered a death sentence. Enslaved educated men became tutors who educated the children of the rich or state slaves who worked in state archives or in government departments.

Imperial expansion created increasing trading opportunities in the conquered territories and the areas which came under Roman influence. This made the equities, an entrepreneurial class of merchants, bankers, moneylenders and investors in shipping and mining wealthier. As Roman trade extended around the Mediterranean Sea, shipping also became more and more important as it was needed to transport trade goods around this sea. However, traditionally sailors were non-Romans. There was also an increase in the number of craftsmen who produced manufactures for trade.

There was the emergence of dispossessed peasants who flocked to Rome to eke out a living and swelled the city's mass of the unemployed or underemployed poor who relied on a grain dole distributed by the state. Rich landowners often exploited the misfortunes of peasants to buy their land of the cheap and expand their estates. This trend started after the Second Punic War (218-201 BC). Many small farms were ravaged by Hannibal's invasion of Italy or had been neglected due to prolonged military service. Another problem was that the plots of land granted to peasants often were too small to sustain a peasant family. These factors and indebtedness often led the peasants having to sell their land cheaply. The trend of encroachment on peasant land persisted through the period of the Late Republic.

These poor people did whatever they could to find some work. They worked at market stalls, were pedlars, did odd jobs and did errands for rich people. It is likely that the use of slaves in the households of the rich decreased job opportunities for the poor. Prostitution was common.

Workers with skilled trades were bakers, some types of textile workers, tailors, shoemakers, furniture makers, potters, tile makers, blacksmiths, stonemasons and sculptors. Brick makers and people who laid concrete were unskilled.

Other occupations were shopkeeper and the running of wine bars or guesthouses for travellers.