Manumission

Manumission, by definition, is the act of freeing a slave. In Rome 31, we see an instance in which freedom is bought (the most common conduit for freedom in the Roman period). It is important to note, however, that slave life often encompassed more than just manual labor, but extended into the spheres of teaching, medicine, and other fairly prestigious (non-political) positions.

After being freed, slaves entered the realm of "freedmen" and often took their previous master's name. While they were no longer slaves, they were still not considered full Roman citizens. The children of freedmen, however, were granted full citizenship. Freedmen were banned from politics, but often could advance to other positions such as tradesman or priest.