Only in the Roman Empire could slavery actually start being a way that you can move up in society, because you could-- if you were a talented slave, your owner might free you, probably would free you.

只有在罗马帝国，奴隶制可以成为,提高社会地位的手段，因为。。。,如果是一个能干的奴隶，主人可能会释放他，很有可能。

耶鲁公开课 - 新约课程节选

Under him is his sons, his daughters, and then at the bottom are his slaves, and here are his freedmen, freed persons.

接下来是他的儿子女儿，最底层是奴隶，还有被释放的奴隶，即自由人。

耶鲁公开课 - 新约课程节选

But if you're a freedman you're-- the other thing I should tell you is that in Roman law if you're manumitted as a slave, you're made free, if you're manumitted in the normal way they did it, that makes you a Roman citizen, if your owner was a Roman citizen.

但如果你是自由人-,有一点我得解释一下,罗马法律规定，如果奴隶被释放了，如果是正常方法被释放的，他就会成为罗马公民，前提是他的主人是罗马公民。

耶鲁公开课 - 新约课程节选