Some special problems arise from using slaves as herdsmen and shepherds. This is a particularly difficult and unpopular job, not only because the herdsmen are exposed to the elements but because they also face the risk of beingattacked by bandits and wild beasts. It is a lonely existence too, with long periods away from human contact, from sociability and from the household. It is best to leave such troublesome jobs to poor free men who need the money and so can be relied upon to do a decent job.
If you do use slaves as herdsmen you must realise that it is almost impossible to supervise them. They are likely to cause problems wherever they go, either by stealing things or getting into fights. You must also realise that you need to use different kinds of physical specimens for different kinds of herding. Use older slaves for larger animals, but assign small boys to the small animals. Those who go out with the cattle along the trails in the hills and pastures must be stronger than those who tend beasts back at the farm. That is of course why you see young men out in the pastures when boys and even young slave girls can cope with looking after the animals on the farm itself.
Herdsmen must be expected to spend the whole day with their flocks. They should also spend the whole night with them. The herdsmen should all report to a Head Herdsman, who should be older and more experienced than the others in order to command respect. But he must not be so old that he cannot cope with hard work. Not many old men can put up with the hardships of the cattle trail, when they have to travel along steep and rugged mountainsides, especially if they are herding goats.
Select men who have powerful physiques, are quick and agile, who are well coordinated, and are able to defend the flock from wild beasts or rustlers. They needto be strong enough to lift up loads on to the backs of the pack animals, are good at sprinting and at hitting things with their slingshots. I find some races are useless as herdsmen. Bastulans and Turdulans are both no good, but Gauls are particularly good at it, especially with beasts of burden. As discussed, in terms of the number of herdsmen you employ, I would have one for every 80 to 100 sheep, and two for every 50 mares.
The Head Herdsman must make sure that all the supplies the flock and the herdsmen need are available to them, above all the men’s food and the animals’ veterinary supplies. The Head Herdsman should also be able to write so that he can keep records for you to inspect. This will also enable him to write down the directions for treating the illnesses that commonly attack animals and humans, so that he can help the sick when they are away in the grazing pastures and far from the aid of any physician.
Cato thought that slaves should either be working or that they should be asleep. He was actually quite happy to have slaves who slept a lot because he thought that they were easier to control than those who had a lot of energy. He also believed that those slaves who liked to sleep were more likely to be respectful towards their master. He never allowed domestic slaves to leave the confines of his own household unless explicitly sent on an errand by him or his wife. Even then they were not allowed to converse with others in case this encouraged them to idle. He thought that sexual appetite was what made slaves most difficult to control and so he used to charge them a fixed price to get together with thefemale slaves. But he would not allow them any kind of permanent relationship. In my view this is no way to run a household. Humanity, even when it comes in the form of a miserable slave, still demands some basic justice.
Some see sick and old slaves as unproductive and useless. Cato advises us that they should be thrown away like rubbish. His attitude was that slaves should be bought cheap, worked hard and then left to die. He would simply not feed them once they were no longer useful. I, and most slave
If you do use slaves as herdsmen you must realise that it is almost impossible to supervise them. They are likely to cause problems wherever they go, either by stealing things or getting into fights. You must also realise that you need to use different kinds of physical specimens for different kinds of herding. Use older slaves for larger animals, but assign small boys to the small animals. Those who go out with the cattle along the trails in the hills and pastures must be stronger than those who tend beasts back at the farm. That is of course why you see young men out in the pastures when boys and even young slave girls can cope with looking after the animals on the farm itself.
Herdsmen must be expected to spend the whole day with their flocks. They should also spend the whole night with them. The herdsmen should all report to a Head Herdsman, who should be older and more experienced than the others in order to command respect. But he must not be so old that he cannot cope with hard work. Not many old men can put up with the hardships of the cattle trail, when they have to travel along steep and rugged mountainsides, especially if they are herding goats.
Select men who have powerful physiques, are quick and agile, who are well coordinated, and are able to defend the flock from wild beasts or rustlers. They needto be strong enough to lift up loads on to the backs of the pack animals, are good at sprinting and at hitting things with their slingshots. I find some races are useless as herdsmen. Bastulans and Turdulans are both no good, but Gauls are particularly good at it, especially with beasts of burden. As discussed, in terms of the number of herdsmen you employ, I would have one for every 80 to 100 sheep, and two for every 50 mares.
The Head Herdsman must make sure that all the supplies the flock and the herdsmen need are available to them, above all the men’s food and the animals’ veterinary supplies. The Head Herdsman should also be able to write so that he can keep records for you to inspect. This will also enable him to write down the directions for treating the illnesses that commonly attack animals and humans, so that he can help the sick when they are away in the grazing pastures and far from the aid of any physician.
Cato thought that slaves should either be working or that they should be asleep. He was actually quite happy to have slaves who slept a lot because he thought that they were easier to control than those who had a lot of energy. He also believed that those slaves who liked to sleep were more likely to be respectful towards their master. He never allowed domestic slaves to leave the confines of his own household unless explicitly sent on an errand by him or his wife. Even then they were not allowed to converse with others in case this encouraged them to idle. He thought that sexual appetite was what made slaves most difficult to control and so he used to charge them a fixed price to get together with thefemale slaves. But he would not allow them any kind of permanent relationship. In my view this is no way to run a household. Humanity, even when it comes in the form of a miserable slave, still demands some basic justice.
Some see sick and old slaves as unproductive and useless. Cato advises us that they should be thrown away like rubbish. His attitude was that slaves should be bought cheap, worked hard and then left to die. He would simply not feed them once they were no longer useful. I, and most slave
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