Noting parallels in slave-holding societies in the New World and ancient Rome, Bell (art history, Northern Illinois U.) and Ramsby (classics, U. of Massachusetts Amherst) pay homage to freed slaves' contributions to Roman life and culture. International scholars examine freed slaves connected to imperial households in the early Empire or high-powered politicians in the Republic as a lens on the complex interactions between slaves, freed slaves, and the freeborn. The book features illustrations including funerary art, a chronological table of household monuments to slaves and freed persons, and images of American educators who advocated education in the classics for freed African Americans. Distributed by International Publishers Marketing. Annotation 2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
