Historian: Roman nobles, known as patricians, often owned dozens of slaves. It was extremely common in ancient Rome. Roman society did not consider the practice to be immoral or illegal in any way. Rome would simply enslave the many people conquered by the Empire. A fresh supply of slaves was integral to sustaining the Roman Empire. Which one of the following is most strongly supported by the historian's argument? ['Conquered people welcomed their new lives as slaves.', 'Slavery was a necessary evil for the Romans.', 'The Roman Empire would have collapsed earlier without enslaving new peoples.', 'Romans treated their slaves with more humanity, compassion, and respect than any other contemporary civilization.']