Like another superpower of today, the United States, Ancient Rome relied on immigrants to reinforce its dominance. Interestingly enough, many of them came from former slaves, according to Mary Beard in Meet the Romans (00:14:14-00:14:52). Beard talks about how slavery for those kinds of immigrants acted as a form of apprenticeship (00:14:14-00:14:52), allowing them to make valuable connections and learn relevant skills for future life. Thus, the definition of being ‘Roman’ was less about where someone was born and more about making use of the opportunities one gained from entering the city – even if it was “builders, prostitutes, peasants” or the slaves as mentioned above (Beard, 00:15:02-00:15:25). This mix of people from all around made Rome what it was, the city of diversity with immigrants from the bottom socio-economical layer to the top. While often entering the city as slaves, the immigrants of Rome were given the opportunities to succeed in life.
From Mary Beard’s description of immigrants’ lives in Ancient Rome, the experience seems similar to immigrants coming into New York City for the first time. Rome was, like New York has been for years, a ruthless city that absorbed and spat out people on the daily. The immigrants gained the opportunities to support the Empire’s growth while having a better life than they would have had at home. This is incredibly similar to the appeal the US has to immigrants today and in recent decades. Although now many border-control laws limit immigration flow into the country, foreigners who decide to settle in the United States are still the country’s backbone. Citizenship, the recognition by law as a part of the country, seems to have been more easily attainable for those on the lower socio-economic levels during the Roman Empire times. Today, the immigration process is unnecessarily difficult for foreigners, especially those that are underprivileged. To reiterate, the need for immigration in modern society seems to have remained the same, yet the country’s desire to accept those with a lower social status has decreased.
Work Cited
Beard, Mary. “Meet the Romans with Mary Beard (1of3): All Roads Lead to Rome”. YouTube, uploaded by Melan Mendo, 2015.