Download Citizens, and Slaves

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SLAVES
The vast majority of Greeks from Homer to Aristotle regarded slavery as an
indisputable fact of life. Its existence at the heart of the Classical world is thus a
source of considerable disquiet to those who admire Greek culture for its supposedly
enlightened humanism. It is important to appreciate, however, that slavery was not an
absolute condition but one that admitted many different statuses. […] Though most
Athenian slaves were purchased from abroad, some were bred in captivity, as
indicated by the following remark made by Ischomachos in Xenophon's, Household
Management: "As a general rule, if good slaves are permitted to breed, their loyalty
increases, whereas when bad slaves live together as husband and wife they are more
liable to cause trouble" (9.5).
Domestic Slaves
Domestic slaves served in practically every capacity, including that of washerwoman,
cook, porter, cleaner, tutor, domestic escort, messenger, nurse, and companion. […]
On becoming a member of an Athenian household, a slave underwent an initiation
ceremony similar to that which a bride underwent on first entering her new home.
This was intended to place the slave under the protection of Hestia, the goddess of the
hearth. […] Overall the treatment of slaves varied greatly from one household to the
next. Though Athenian slaves were protected by the law against violent abuse, in
practice it was virtually impossible for them to lodge a complaint against their
masters, since they could not represent themselves in court. Starvation and flogging
were regular punishments for bad behaviour. A runaway slave was branded with a hot
iron upon capture. If a slave was required to be a witness in a lawsuit, his or her
testimony could be accepted only under torture. […]
The Origins of Slavery
The origins of slavery are not precisely understood, but the institution was certainly in
existence by the end of the eighth century B.C. In the world evoked by the Homeric
poems most slaves were obtained by piracy, kidnapping, or warfare. It would also
have been the fate of women and children in historical times when a besieged city fell.
In seventh century B.C. Greece, slavery appears to have been widespread even among
the poorest section of society. […]
The Size of Athens' Slave Population
Slaves were particularly numerous in Athens and may well have outnumbered those
in any other Greek com Athens' slave communities. […] In classical times the
possession of at least one slave was regarded as a necessity. In a lawsuit written by
Lysias the speaker states, "I have a trade but I don't earn much. I find it difficult
making ends meet and I can't save enough money to buy a slave to do the work for
me" (24.6). The majority of well-to-do Athenians probably owned two or three slaves,
whereas the wealthy possessed between ten and twenty. A few, however, owned a
great many more. […]
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The Racial Diversity of Athen's Slaves
Athenian slaves were imported from a wide variety of regions including Thrace,
Scythia, Illyria, Colchis, Syria, Caria, and Lydia. Such diversity was probably fairly
typical. The purchase price of a slave varied according to his or her skills and looks.
Obviously an educated slave who could read and write fetched considerably more
than one who was only good for menial duties. Likewise a pretty young girl cost
much more than an ugly old hag. Slaves with management skills were extremely
expensive. […]
Publicly Owned Slaves
The most privileged Athenian slaves were owned by the state. They included the
notaries, jury clerks, coin testers, and executioner. In addition, a large number of
publicly owned slaves toiled as road menders. As building accounts make clear,
slaves sometimes worked on building projects alongside Athenian citizens. Athens'
force of Skythian archers, who kept the peace, was also the property of the state.
Living Separately
Because Athenian citizens refused to satisfy the demand for living wage labour in the
second half of the fifth century B.C., conditions and opportunities for a limited
number of slaves improved dramatically. Such slaves, who paid a commission to their
owners, were described as "living separately". They included the managers of shops
and factories; bankers, captains of trading vessels, bailiffs, and artisans. […] Overall,
however, the Athenians were niggardly in freeing their slaves, even when they had
served them dutifully all their life. […]
Conclusions
Though it had its critics, the institution of slavery was never seriously challenged in
the ancient world. Even philosophers such as the Cynics and Stoics, who professed to
believe in the brotherhood of mankind, were muted in their opposition. In the Politics,
Aristotle goes so far as to justify slavery as part of the order of existence, though he
makes a distinction between what he calls slaves by nature, those born in captivity,
and slaves by law, those captured in war. Aristotle proposed this distinction in
response to those who regarded the very existence of slavery as "contrary to nature".
Adapted from Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks
(http://www.globaled.org/nyworld/materials/greek1.html)
Your tasks:
 Create a mind map for “SLAVERY IN ATHENS” (key words only,
please). Be prepared to give a two-minute-talk on the topic with the
help of your mind map.
 Look up those words you NEED and cannot infer from the context,
please.