Slaves and Slavery in Ancient Greece

Recovers the voices, experiences and agency of enslaved people in ancient Greece.

Sara Forsdyke (Author)

9781107032347, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 June 2021

200 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2 cm, 0.57 kg

Slavery in ancient Greece was commonplace. In this book Sara Forsdyke uncovers the wide range of experiences of slaves and focuses on their own perspectives, rather than those of their owners, giving a voice to a group that is often rendered silent by the historical record. By reading ancient sources 'against the grain,' and through careful deployment of comparative evidence from more recent slave-owning societies, she demonstrates that slaves engaged in a variety of strategies to deal with their conditions of enslavement, ranging from calculated accommodation to full-scale rebellion. Along the way, she establishes that slaves made a vital contribution to almost all aspects of Greek society. Above all, despite their often brutal treatment, they sometimes displayed great ingenuity in exploiting the tensions and contradictions within the system of slavery.

1. Approaching slavery in Ancient Greece: motivations, methods and definitions
2. Becoming a slave: 'the day of slavery'
3. Being a slave: experiences of slavery
4. Slaves and status
5. Resourceful slaves and controlling masters
6. Why should we care?

Subject Areas: Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], European history [HBJD]