Strike

Historian Sarah E. Bond retells the traditional story of Ancient Rome, revealing how groups of ancient workers unified, connected, and protested as they helped build an empire.

From plebeians refusing to join the Roman army to bakers withholding bread, this is the first book to explore how Roman workers used strikes, boycotts, riots, and rebellion to get their voices—and their labour—acknowledged. Strike explores Ancient Rome from a new angle to show that the history of labour conflicts and collective action goes back thousands of years, uncovering a world far more similar to our own than we realise.

Workers often turned to their associations for solidarity and shared identity in the ancient world. Some of these groups even negotiated contracts, wages, and work conditions in a manner similar to modern labour unions. As the world begins to consider the value—and indeed the necessity—of unionisation to protect workers, this book demonstrates that we can learn valuable lessons from ancient labourers and from attempts by the Roman government to limit their freedom.