Slavery In Ancient Times Essay

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Pages: 6

Slavery in Ancient Times

The concept of slavery has been around since the beginning of time and was used by almost all ancient civilizations. These ancient civilizations who practiced slavery include, Sumerians, Greeks, Athenians, Romans, Akkadians, Phoenicians, and many more. The origin of slavery began around the middle east in areas such as Sumer and Rome. In ancient times there was many ways that one could become a slave. Some of these ways being, someone was indebted to someone, being defeated and captured in war, and even a form of punishment could make someone a slave. Even though slavery was a horrific act, it was a driving force which majorly increased the economy of civilizations due to the cheap labor. In every society, slaves
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There were multiple ways to become a slave in Roman civilization. Some of them being, sold into slavery, prisoner of war, could not pay back the government, and more. The Romans were able to make a lot of money and increase their economy by capturing and selling slaves from conquering other areas. When a slave was purchased in Roman societies, they were most likely a slave for life. A slave was able to buy his own freedom back but, it was next to impossible to achieve as you had to pay the same price that the owner purchased you for. Unlike other civilizations, Roman slaves had basically no rights, other than being a witness in a legal setting. One of the biggest differences from other societies was that Romans had been very abusive to their slaves. Slaves had been subject to abuse such as, being whipped, brandings, and even death. Roman slave owners would not receive any sort of punishment for abusive behavior to their slave, since the slave was considered their property. Many of the jobs performed by Roman slaves consisted of manual labor such as, creating roadways, constructing buildings, and repairing anything in the city. Some slaves had even been given tasks such as collecting taxes and being a clerk. Altogether, slavery in Rome was tremendously difficult for anyone who had become a