Western Civilization I / Unit 4 WC1 0306 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Slavery in Classical Greece: Sources and Scale
Captions available
The idea
The anchor calls the Greek slave's legal position as dire as any in history: masters could kill, rape or maim. Slaves came from war, from a Mediterranean trade, and from debt outside Athens. The anchor's one-third of Athens enslaved by four fifty.
In practice
Persian captives; Africans through Egypt; steppe peoples via the Black Sea.
Where people slip
Demand rose with wealth. Prosperity and slavery grew together.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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