How much did Roman slaves cost?

Answer: 500 to 5,000 denarii for the typical slave, depending on nationality, age, gender and condition. But for a Greek grammarian expect to pay 10,000 denarii, or for a Greek doctor, 20,000.

Slave markets were well-run and kept meticulous records. Slaves came not only from the proceeds of piracy, but from beaten armies, conquered nations and sacked cities. But they could come from anywhere in the empire, as an individual might sell himself or a family member into slavery to avoid starvation. Slaves’ feet were whitened with chalk to show they were fresh stock.

Para Bellum has made an authoritative video on not only slaves, but how much a wide range of items used to cost at different periods in the Roman empire, with the cost of typical food items, houses, country estates and a soldier’s wage to help you make sense of the bald figures. I now have a much clearer idea of what a denarius was worth (it contained about $6 USD of silver), and more importantly how many I’d need to buy one of that mainstay of the empire’s economy: a slave.