Slavery: Difference between revisions

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Some [[philosopher]]s of [[antiquity]] vindicated [[Doulos|doulia]] as a natural and necessary institution; [[Aristotle]] declared all [[barbarian]]s to be slaves by birth, fit for nothing but obedience. He also believed that the practice of any blue-collar or [[Banausos|banausic]] job should be disqualifying for citizenship. Aristotle mentioned also that some philosophers in Athenian Democracy were against slavery and they wanted the abolishment of it. Unfortunately, and for obvious reasons, the writings of those philosophers weren't preserved by successive governments. From other sources can be found just a quote from [[Alcidamas]]: "God has set everyone free. No one is created [[Doulos]], by nature". Also a small fraction of a poem of [[Philemon]] demonstrated that he was also against douleia.

[[Ancient Greece|Greek]] slaves had some chance at [[anachoresis]], they could become suppliants in temples and change their masters in case of maltreatement; slaves at [[Athens]] were positively encouraged to save for their freedom, and there are even records of slaves operating businesses by themselves, with only a fixed payment to their masters. There was also a law in Athens, forbidding the striking of slaves—the source[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0157] for this explains it: if you struck someone who seemed to be a slave at Athens, you might be hitting a fellow citizen, because many citizens dressed no better. The same source also mentions that slaves in Athenian Democracy had the free speech right, and that other greeks were startled by the fact that Athenians let their slaves live luxuriously. Many athenian slaves fought together with athenian freemen in the [[Battle of Marathon]], and slave names are written in the memorial monument constructed after the victory. "ἐμαχέσαντο γάρ καί δοῦλοι τότε... ἦν δέ ἄρα καί δήμου δίκαιον βούλευμα, εἰ δή καί Ἀθηναῖοι μετέδοσαν δούλοις δημοσίᾳ ταφῆναι καί τά ὀνόματα ἐγγραφῆναι στήλῃ - δηλοῖ δέ ἀγαθούς σφᾶς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ γενέσθαι...». (Also [[Plutarch]]) mentions that, during the [[Battle of Salamis]], Athenians were doing their best to save their "women, children and slaves". Much of the wealth of [[Athenian Democracy]] came from its [[silver]] [[mining|mines]] at [[Laurion]], and the greatest part of it were worked by slaves (the presence of free workers at Laureion is suggested by recent excavations, which have found two kinds of dormitories).

The comedies of [[Menander]] show how the Athenians prefered to view their house slaves: as an enterprising and unscrupulous rascal, who must use his wits to profit from his master, rescue him from his troubles, or gain him the girl of his dreams. We have most of these in translations by [[Plautus]] and [[Terence]], suggesting that the Romans liked the same genre - which is not yet extinct, as the popularity of [[Jeeves]] and [[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]] attest.