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Manumission was the process of the emancipation of a single slave; the word derives from the manus = hand, power and mitto = send, i.e. send from ones power. In Roman times the owner would slap the slave on his or her back symbolising the last humiliating gesture of ownership before the slave became free, lit. to send forth by hand, to send from ones power.
Slave Manumissions Search
The Slave Manumissions database contains 2,258 entries.
Please note that errors or omissions are likely to be found and should be verified via its original source.
With kind permission and acknowledgements to Dr Sandy Rowoldt Shell & the late Prof Robert Shell - from the publication "Changing Hands".