The various classes of slaves had each its special foreman, with a substitute whom he either received from his master or bought with his savings (peculium). For other kinds of recreation there were also slaves who had received a musical training, pantomimi, fools, and jesters. ![]() Meals or during the bath or before going to sleep, literary men (litterati), librarians, and transcribers of books. The most important position among the servants was occupied by those whom the master himself chose to assist him in his business or his recreations, as, for instance, those who attended to money matters and to the supervision of the slaves, secretaries, physicians, readers at For travelling across country there was always a large escort, consisting of crowds of equerries, outriders, grooms, etc. The litter of each member of the family was carried by from six to eight lecticarii, particularly strong men, and by preference Cappadocians. Some slaves went before their master (anteambulones), especially the nomenclator, who informed his master of the names of the persons they met others followed (pedisequi) others, again, were told off for attending their master with torches and lanterns on leaving parties in the evening. It was considered of especial importance that, when the master or mistress of the house left it on foot or in a litter, the slaves following them should be numerous and richly attired. The master and mistress of the house were served by special valets (cubicularii), who also had to announce visitors (nomenclatores), and pages and chambermaids and special servants for the bath and the toilet. The service at table also necessitated a numerous attendance of dressers, servers, carvers, fore-tasters, cup-bearers, table-clearers and others, who similarly were under a special foreman, the tricliniarcha, who saw to the general arrangements and to the lighting. The kitchen was in charge of a special slave, an even more expensive one than the vilicus and under him were a host of assistants, wood-carriers, market-men, pastry-cooks, etc. Besides him there were subordinate servants for the various dwellings, the spare rooms for visitors, the shrine of the household gods, the images of the ancestors, the various kinds of furniture, the art collections, and the wardrobe and there was also a porter (ianitor or ostiarius), who, according to an old custom, was chained like a dog ( De Rhet. ![]() When the extension of the household made it necessary to keep a special person to control the expenditure, the steward's functions were limited to seeing that the house and furniture were properly cleaned and in a good state. ![]() In older times the house and everything belonging to it was in charge of the aedituus (“major domo,” “steward”), who managed all household affairs, received and spent money, negotiated sales and purchases, and disposed of the stores. ![]() The number of town-slaves was not due to actual requirements, but depended upon the luxurious fashions which became more and more prevalent in the last two centuries of the Republic. These slaves were under the supervision of the vilicus (farm-bailiff) or actor (steward), who had to render the accounts to the master or his representative. Thus there were in the country special slaves for the various branches of agriculture, horticulture, and the tending of cattle, the cultivation of olives and vines, the keeping of bees and of poultry, and for the preserves and fishponds. The work done by the slaves was of the most varied character, and the great diversity of their occupations is partly explained by the fact that almost every kind of work required a special slave, and it was considered not consistent with good breeding, and a sign of poverty, if the same slave was intrusted with several different duties.
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