Greek and Roman Slaveries

The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Slaveries, ed. S. Hodkinson, K. Vlassopoulos & M. Kleiwegt, 2018

This short chapter provides the outline of ideas that are further developed in my book Greek Slave Systems in their Eastern Mediterranean Context, c. 800-146 BC (Oxford 2018). It challenges prevailing assumptions (based on the work of M.I. Finley) that a vast qualitative and quantitative gulf separated the slaveholding practices of the Greeks from those of their eastern neighbours.

L.A.B. Independent Publishing , 2024

This paper will demonstrate that the mode of enslavement was unique in Ancient Greece because of the society’s primary reliance on enslaved persons originating from beyond the Greek world. While West African societies utilized the wartime enslavement of neighboring states as their preferred mode, and Ancient Roman peoples sourced their enslaved from regions within their own territories, the Greeks trusted that their long-standing slave markets generated constant demand to meet a foreign supply.

University of Edinburgh Press, 2024

2012

he study of ancient slavery is, rightly, of enduring interest. From Wallon to Weber to Marx (Engels, really) to Finley and beyond, ancient slavery has never been neglected, either by ancient historians or by students of comparative slavery. Its study thrives not just because it is a subject where grand theory and tantalizing evidence intertwine; not just because the surviving sources do not allow slaves to speak for themselves, thus posing irresistible challenges to historians; not just because slaves made important economic contributions to their societies. It fascinates, above all, because ancient slavery as a system of human exploitation was a central institution of ancient life that endured for centuries despite the violence, and the instability of violence as a form of control, at its heart; and because, at some point and without voices challenging its existence or necessity, it declined. The recent books here under review are only components of the most recent wave of ancient slavery studies. One is the first of a four-part world history of slavery, The Cambridge World History of Slavery (CWHS), with twenty-two chapters by different authors; two are outstanding scholarly monographs, Harper's

Slavery, broadly defined, was practiced across the ancient Mediterranean. In this graduate seminar we will compare the diverse forms it takes in different Mediterranean contexts, as well as the ways in which slaving as a social, economic, and legal phenomenon connected the region. Each student will be responsible for one particular iteration of slavery according to their research interests so that all leave with both a broad, cross-cultural understanding of ancient Mediterranean slavery and more narrow expertise in one particular time/place/source material. Given the framework of the seminar, we will also explore the challenges (and rewards!) of comparative methodologies.

A slave tag from Rome, fourth-century CE, reading "Tene me ne fugia(m) et revoca me ad dom(i)num Viventium in ar(e)a Callisti" ("Hold me, lest I flee, and return me to my master Viventius on the estate of Callistus"). British Museum, London. In this course, we will examine practices, circumstances, and cultural representations and ideas of slavery in ancient Greek and Roman societies. First, we will consider the many ways in which slavery in the ancient Mediterranean world was markedly different from modern forms and practices of slavery. This is essential as a point of departure so that we do not project onto ancient historical contexts aspects of slavery that are peculiar to modern systems of enslavement, particularly trans-Atlantic slavery. Then, we will survey wide-ranging evidence for ancient practices of slavery and experiences of enslaved people in legal, political, and philosophical texts, imaginative literary sources, and material culture from the early Greek polities to the later Roman Empire. Additionally, we will explore selected key topics in the study of ancient slavery, such as conceptions of slavery in ancient religions, including early Christianity; practices of slavery at the Roman Empire's periphery; gender and ethnicity in relation to slavery; slaves in the ancient household and family; slave resistance and revolts; and the social horizons and constraints of manumitted slaves. 1. Reading of (or viewing of, or listening to) all assigned material. 2. Regular attendance and active participation in classroom discussion. You are expected to participate actively in the class discussion in an informed, thoughtful, and considerate manner. Active participation requires critically reading and thinking about all the week's assigned material. Complete understanding is not necessarily a consequence of this reading, but questions should be. The questions you raise will act as the framework for our classroom discussions. Please do not feel shy or self-conscious about participating or asking questions in class; like you, I may not-indeed, often will notknow the answer to your question. But rather than feel embarrassed, I will try to find an answer by the next class meeting. In this way, everyone benefits by your question. Remember, the cultures of the past really only come alive when we problematize them, discuss them, and above all treat them not with condescension but with respect. The course will include one substantial essay, two in-class tests, and short reading-response papers assigned for most (though not all) weeks. See more under Assignments below. 4. Academic Honesty. All students are expected to do their own work. This is obvious, but must be stated for the record. Any instances of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, copying, using notes during tests or exams) will be reported. Presenting the ideas, material, or words of others as your own constitutes plagiarism, a form of academic misconduct that results in serious consequences (ranging from failure of an assignment to failure of the course or suspension from the University). It is your responsibility as a student to familiarize yourself with the definition of plagiarism and to learn how to avoid it; for further information see: . Using A.I. software (e.g., ChatGPT) to compose, or assist in composing, papers is strictly forbidden. If I suspect material submitted by a student was produced by A.I., I reserve the right to give the student an impromptu oral exam on the same material. 1. Students will acquire a stronger understanding of the particular nature and functions of slavery in ancient Greek and Roman societies. 2. Students will gain familiarity with a wide range of sources, problems, and methods for the study of slavery in a variety of ancient Medierrranean contexts. 3. Students will develop skills of historical thinking, source analysis and interpretation, and argument-based writing about the ancient world.

L.A.B. Independent Publishing , 2024

The variations of slavery and the considerable lack of sources relating to ancient societies, should lead us to critically re-examine the words that we choose according to the context in which slavery is unfolding. It would be hard for us to identify social dislocation from the ‘dry business’ dealings reported on ancient court documents or royal inscriptions. Harder still would it be for us to flat-out restrict the impact that cultural survival had on enslaved individuals and their ideas of belonging. Should we endeavor to find a definition of slavery? The contextualization of slavery according to the society examined seems being more crucial for purposes of comparative analysis than attempting to find a clear-cut, ‘fits-all’ definition.

Electryone, 2013

This article considers the relationship between interconnectivity and Greek slavery, in particular, the slave trade and the geographical sources of slaves in Greek city-states. Since there exists no extant treatment of the slave-trade from Greek antiquity, most of the evidence is indirect and focuses primarily upon the Classical period. A variety of source material is examined, including Greek drama, art, historiography, and inscriptions. Of specific interest is the often problematic nature of the evidence for the slave trade and the ethnicity of slaves. Although it is clear that the Greeks traded in foreign slaves, how most slaves were acquired and from where are questions that continue to confound modern scholars. This article does not seek to provide a definitive answer to these questions, but aims to further the discussion through a consideration of why the Greeks preferred foreign slaves, how slaves were procured and from where, how we might determine the ethnicity of slaves through indirect evidence (such as names), and the presence of foreign slaves in Attica, where most of the source material originates.