In the first and second centuries CE a small elite of affluent slaves and wealthy free persons prospered in Rome amidst a mass of impoverished free inhabitants and impecunious enslaved people. Roman Inequality reconstructs the role that slaves and women played in this economy.

Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 Inequality Chapter 2 Fiction: Reconciling Economic Reality and Juridicial Principles Chapter 3 Opportunity: From Freedom to Slavery-From Slavery to Freedom Chapter 4 Businesswomen: In Servitude and in Freedom Chapter 5 Servile Imperialism: In Power, In Servitude Works Cited General Index Index of Passages Cited

"This book is phenomenal, and delightfully well-documented--as I would expect. I'm deeply sympathetic with what the book seeks to do. This is true of its attempt to grant real historical salience to a feature of Roman law on agency that many probably knew at the level of doctrine but whose implications for the economy few had considered."-- Clifford Ando, Professor of Roman Law and Classics at the University of Chicago "A must-read for any social and economic and legal historian of antiquity. Both the general overview of the subject matter and the points of detail are innovative and important."-- Marco Maiuro, Professor of Roman History at the University of Rome ("La Sapienza") "Engaging with one of the most intriguing aspects of the way the Romans dealt with entrepreneurial matters, this book is a very illuminating piece of scholarship, proof that people with actual business experience can contribute decisively to the field of economic history."-- Gilles Bransbourg, American Numismatic Society "It is important to point out that, while this review may well present supporters of Classics for All with a new and, frankly, astonishing aspect of the ancient world, the importance of this book for academics, which cannot be overestimated, lies in the expertise with which C. selects from, and the crystal clarity with which he analyses, the mountains of evidence that the jurists and inscriptions have left on the topic. It all adds up to a fascinating and extremely important contribution to our understanding of the nature of slavery in the Roman world." -- Peter Jones, Classics for All "Roman Inequality is an important analysis of the law surrounding slavery and a convincing explanation of the economic dominance of enslaved, freed, and, in some cases, female workers... The book advances our understanding of the real--world implications of Roman law and provides new insights that have much to contribute across multiple fields of study." -- Jane Sancinito, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Edward E. Cohen is Professor of Classics and Ancient History (Adjunct) at the University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in the economic and legal history of ancient Greece and Rome, and is the author of many books and articles on this subject, including Athenian Prostitution: The Business of Sex (also Oxford University Press).

Selling point: Offers a pioneering examination of the roles of entrepreneurial slaves and businesswomen in the Roman economy Selling point: Gives an important contribution to the study of Roman business organization and of Roman society Selling point: Provides a significant study of aspects of Roman commercial law