History of Slavery in Ancient Rome Did you know that one in 5 people were slaves during the Roman Empire ? Slavery was a widespread institution in ancient Rome with one in 5 people serving as slaves during the time of the empire but the institution of slavery went back to the Kingdom of Rome that dated between 753 and 509 BCE and it developed during the time of the Republic between 509 and 27 BCE before becoming the most prevalent form of free labor during the Roman Empire from 27 BCE to 476 CE. Slaves were originally prisoners of war but in time could be those sold by their families to relieve a debt those kidnapped by slavers convicted criminals or those born into slavery. #slavery #rome #romanempire #history #worldhistory