Slavery in Classical Athens
- attitudes towards slavery and justifications, for example Aristotle’s justification
- how a person became a slave
- jobs
- public and private slaves
- treatment of slaves
- freeing of slaves
- impact of the use of slavery
Attitudes Towards Slavery
The Ancient Greeks obviously had a very different attitude towards the concept of slavery than we do now. It was generally accepted that slavery was moral – some Greek philosophers argued that slaves should be treated better, but no one argued that slavery shouldn’t exist at all. Most citizens thought that slaves were naturally inferior and that slavery was a good thing because it benefitted society.
Aristotle probably represented most Athenian citizens’ views. He thought that slaves were like animals, and that tame animals were better off than wild animals because they didn’t have to worry about getting enough food or evading predators. Therefore, he thought that slaves lived a better life because they were slaves. He also thought that slaves were better off as slaves because they could be useful to society, whereas if they weren’t slaves they couldn’t be useful. He thought that citizens and slaves both had things they were good at: slaves were good at manual labour and citizens had intelligence. Both groups benefitted by working together.
The core of Aristotle’s belief was that slavery was a natural phenomenon both in the animal kingdom and among humanity. A King ruled over his citizens, and a citizen ruled over his slaves: it was perfectly natural for the strong to dominate the weak. Therefore, Aristotle’s conclusion was that slavery was a good thing, because some people were born to be slaves, others to be rulers, and both sides would benefit if they fulfilled the roles they were born into. However, like a number of other Greeks Aristotle did believe that slaves could feel emotions and form relationships, so advocated that slaves should be treated well.
The attitude towards slaves can be seen by how they were treated legally. Legally, a slave was treated as an object in the shape of a person. As such, they had no legal rights and were only viewed as the property of someone else.
However, Ancient Greece had much fewer slaves than similar societies such as Ancient Rome. This meant that, despite the attitudes they held towards slaves, there was a very real need to treat them well. Just as it would be seen as stupid and wasteful to destroy a table, particularly if there was a shortage of tables at the time, slaves tended not to be beaten for no reason. They were treated as valuable commodities.
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Make a bullet point list of Aristotle’s views on slavery.
How Someone Became a Slave
There were a number of ways someone could become a slave in Ancient Greece. Slave traders would sometimes kidnap people to sell into slavery, and pirates could also attack other vessels in order to make slaves of the sailors. A person could be born into slavery, since if someone’s mother was a slave they would also be a slave. If an Athenian family didn’t want a child, they could abandon the baby somewhere, and slave traders sometimes took these children and made them into slaves. Finally, prisoners of war would become slaves if they weren’t ransomed or exchanged for Athenian prisoners. This was the most common way of getting slaves in the beginning of Athenian democracy, but later on it became more common to exchange prisoners of war for money or Athenian citizens who had been captured by the enemy.
Were Athenian slaves foreigners, native Athenians, or a mix of both?
Domestic Slaves
Domestic slaves were more often seen in rich families than poor families – the more slaves a person had, the richer they were. When a slave joined a family, they would hold a ceremony that involved showering the new slave with fruits and nuts. This was similar to the ceremony held when a bride joined her new family, and indicated that the slave was now considered a part of the family. This implies that domestic slaves were treated quite well, since they were considered as part of the family they served. On the other hand, all slaves had to give up their old identity and culture. They were given a new name and were expected to immediately adapt to the Ancient Athenian language, culture and religion.
Overall, does this seem like a life you would like to live?
Women
Female domestic slaves would do many of the household chores. This included cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, spinning and weaving. They would also have collected water from public fountains, and ground flour to make bread. If the family had a young baby, a female slave may have been used as a wet nurse, and would have acted as a nanny after the child was a little older. Nannies could be highly integrated into the family structure, and form strong bonds with their owners.
The younger and prettier slaves would also have been involved in entertainment, and would have worked as singers, dancers and prostitutes at parties.
In your opinion, what is the best job a female domestic slave could do?
In your opinion, what is the worst job a female domestic slave could do?
Men
Male slaves, on the other hand, would primarily have carried out the work outside the house. They would have plowed the fields, and looked after and harvested plants such as olives, wheat, grapes and vegetables. They also would have worked to turn olives into olive oil and grapes into wine. They would have reared and looked after the farm animals, then killed them to obtain their meat and leather. They would have milked cows and created cheese, obtained eggs from the chickens and sheared the wool from sheep. They were therefore essential at every stage of the farming process.
Male slaves who were educated could also act as a paidagogos, the Ancient Greek name for a tutor. This slave would be in charge of the education of the boys in the family, and would have the authority to discipline them. Therefore, a tutor had a certain amount of authority in the household, and could form strong bonds with the family.
In your opinion, what was the best job a male domestic slave could do?
In your opinion, what was the worst job a male domestic slave could do?
Other Private Slaves
Private individuals bought slaves for reasons other than domestic work. Craftsmen often bought slaves to work alongside them in the workshops, making things like furniture, pottery and shoes. An example of this is Timarchos the shoemaker, who owned about 10 slaves to help him with his work. Because these slaves worked with their masters, this shows that the work they were doing wasn’t very bad - if the working conditions were horrendous, their master wouldn't have been working with them. Slaves working in workshops with their masters also had a big chance to interact with their masters, which improved their chances of being freed.
Some private slaves were put in charge of their masters property, for example a bank or a farm that the master didn’t often visit. Slaves could therefore be given a lot of power and responsibility, and could maintain very highly skilled jobs. Completing jobs like this often meant they didn’t have a lot of contact with their master, so their chance of being freed was low, however because they didn’t often meet with their master they were allowed quite a lot of freedom.
Some private individuals sent their slaves down a mine. Nicias, for example, owned 1,000 slaves, some of whom he hired to Athens to work in the silver mines. This was probably the worst job a slave could have.
What were the benefits of being a private slave?
Public Slaves
Public slaves could also work in a mine. Regardless of whether you were a public or private slave, mining was the worst job you could do. Slaves in the mines usually had a number of health conditions and a very short lifespan. Slaves had to work in cramped conditions which could cause disabilities. It was very hot in the mines and there wasn’t much ventilation, meaning slaves constantly breathed in the toxic fumes and dust found in the mines – this could result in a variety of health conditions, and could even lead to death. There were often cave-ins, and no one attempted to rescue slaves that had been lost. Slaves who had been sent into the mines typically worked there until death. There was essentially no chance of freedom, since a slave working in a mine had no contact with their master.
Scythian archers were a group of highly-skilled public slaves who served as the police force of Athens. They had the power to arrest citizens if they were ordered to, and overall maintained order in Athens. Slaves were given this job because no citizen was supposed to have more power than another. However, if some citizens were able to arrest others then some citizens would have more power. Therefore, the only solution was to turn slaves (who were not citizens) into the police force.
The other main role of Scuthian archers was to round up citizens to attend the Assembly. They would carry a rope dipped in red paint to collect citizens for the Assembly, and if anyone was found with red paint on them they would be fined.
Some public slaves worked as executioners. Athenian citizens didn’t become executioners because it was thought that killing people polluted a person. Executioners were treated quite well, however they had little chance of freedom. They also had to live with the psychological impact of killing people without having the choice as to whether or not to do so.
Public slaves minted coins, acted as public officials and became heralds. They also sometimes engaged in construction work. These slaves had a lot of responsibility and a large impact on Athenian society. Therefore, they were usually treated quite well. On the other hand, they had little chance of freedom.
What do you think was the best job a public slave could do?
What do you think was the worst job a public slave could do?
In your opinion, was it better to be a private or a public slave in Ancient Athens?
How Bad was a Slave’s Life in Ancient Athens?
There is some evidence to suggest that slaves were treated fairly well in Athens. Many slave owners believed that if they treated their slave well, this slave would do better and quicker work for them. Therefore, there was a clear financial incentive to treat slaves well. In fact, a group called the Old Oligarch wrote a pamphlet that mentioned that slaves often could be mistaken for normal citizens because they looked, dressed and sounded the same. This implies that slaves were treated so well they were sometimes indistinguishable from citizens. However, it should be taken into consideration that this pamphlet was trying to discredit Athens - they thought that treating slaves this well was bad. Therefore, the Old Oligarch was likely to have exaggerated the situation in order to persuade its audience: it was unlikely that slaves were treated so well that you couldn't tell them apart from citizens.
A slave that worked in a workshop or helped their master with one of his businesses could lead a relatively good life. They might live in their own house and have a lot of freedom. The only downside was that they would have to pay a share of their earnings to their master.
Slaves were often subject to physical violence. They had to be tortured in court before they could testify. There is evidence to suggest that many slaves were regularly beaten as a punishment. For example, an Athenian called Aristippos apparently said that “I use every kind of punishment to reduce them into submission”. As well as beatings, slaves could also be punished by being sold to a mine or not being given food. Because they were legally defined as property rather than a person, a slave had no form of protection against being attacked by another person. Their master had the right to prosecute another citizen if their slave was harmed, because this was treated as damage to property. This left the decision as to whether to get justice in the hands of a slave’s master. A master was legally required to bring the case to court if someone had killed their slave. This gave slaves very limited legal protection.
However, it should be remembered that no matter how well a slave was treated, the fact remained that they had no freedom. They were never able to choose what they did, where they lived, what language they spoke, who they had a relationship with, what religion they followed, etcetera. They constantly had to live with the knowledge that their master could improve or destroy their lives with just a word. Because of this, their life was lived in constant uncertainty. Many would argue that a life without the freedom to choose your destiny, no matter how comfortable a life it was, was really no life at all. Perhaps Athenian slaves would have agreed with this opinion.
The fact that Ancient Athens had no major slave rebellions suggests that slaves were treated fairly well: slaves had a relatively good quality of life, so they didn’t rebel. On the other hand, this could just mean that slaves knew any rebellion would be put down immediately. There was no hope for a better life for Athenian slaves, so they didn’t bother to rebel. The fact that watchtowers have been found beside large slave villages suggests that slaves didn’t live as harmoniously with their masters as might otherwise be expected. If slaves were completely happy, there would be no need to keep them under watch.
Overall, were Athenian slaves treated well?
Would you be able to put up with living as an Athenian slave, or would it make you miserable?
Factors that Impacted the Quality of a Slave’s Life
The quality of life of a slave depended on two main factors: who their master was, and what job they did. If a slave had a relatively kind master who shared Aristotle's opinion that slaves should be treated well, the slave would live a better life than one with a master who had a temper and enjoyed abusing his slaves.
It could be argued that a slave with a rich master would have a better life than one with a poor master, because there would be more money to feed, house and clothe the slave. The slave would be unlikely to go hungry, because the household had more than enough food to feed everyone. On the other hand, a poor master would have fewer slaves than a rich master. Therefore, a slave would be more likely to form a relationship with a poor master, since their master would be personally acquainted with the few slaves he did have. If a slave had a strong relationship with their master, they were more likely to be freed.
A slave’s life could be drastically different depending on what job they did. Domestic slaves had more contact with their masters than other slaves, and so had more chance of being freed. Wetnurses, nannies and tutors in particular often became integral parts of the household and were very well treated because they became a part of the family. These slaves would have a relatively good chance of freedom. However, female domestic slaves could face rape by their masters. This was perfectly acceptable in Ancient Greek society, so a female slave could do nothing to protest or stop this treatment. This was obviously a horrific experience in itself, but it could also prompt bad treatment from the mistress and her children, which would make life even worse for the slave.
This is the same for female slaves who had to act as prostitutes: they had no control over their bodies, and men could do whatever they wanted to them.
Slaves who worked outside in the fields often had less contact with their master, so had less chance of being freed. They often had to do hard, back-breaking work. However, they did a lot of exercise in the sunlight and fresh air, so it is reasonable to argue that they were relatively healthy.
Public slaves typically had less chance of freedom because they had no relationship with their master (the Athenian state). However, they were usually treated quite well. Public slaves sometimes had a lot of power, particularly if they acted as public officials or members of the Athenian police force (the Scythian Archers). On the other hand, public executioners had no choice but to deal with the psychological impact of killing many people.
Arguably the worst job a slave could have was working in a mine. These slaves had little chance of freedom and usually worked in a mine until they died. Their lifespans were usually short and they often faced a number of health issues caused by their working conditions. Ventilation was bad, meaning slaves were constantly breathing in dust and toxic fumes. The environment was usually very warm, which could lead to heatstroke. Slaves worked in very cramped and dark conditions, and many never saw the light of day once they had entered the mine. As we now know, sunlight has an important effect on both the body and the mind, and slaves would have suffered greatly by being constantly submerged in darkness.
Describe the slave that, in your opinion, would have had the best life.
Describe the slave that, in your opinion, would have had the worst life.
Freeing Slaves
A slave gaining freedom was quite uncommon in Ancient Greece. However, there were ways for a slave to be freed. If a slave worked with their master, they would often be able to keep a small amount of the money that they made. They could save this up and then buy their freedom. This made slaves more motivated and therefore more likely to make a lot of money for their masters. It also meant that an aging slave who would be of less use could pay for a younger replacement by buying his freedom. This system made a lot of economic sense for the masters of the slaves.
Slaves could also be freed by an announcement made by their master in a public place such as a theatre or law court. Similarly, slaves could be freed if their master wrote down in their will that they should be released. This usually only happened to loyal slaves who were favourites of their masters: it was a way for masters to reward good slaves.
Slaves would sometimes be allowed to fight in battles, and would be rewarded with freedom if they survived. However, this only happened in times of emergency, and was not very common. Slaves would also be given freedom if they testified that their master had committed an offense against the state in a law court.
These were all legal ways for a slave to gain freedom, but a slave could also attempt to illegally run away from their master to gain freedom. However, this was rarely attempted. Slaves would be punished very severely for trying to escape: having their legs broken, being branded with a hot iron or even being executed. This clearly dissuaded slaves from attempting to escape.
Even if a slave successfully escaped, their future prospects weren’t very positive. Foreign slaves might have difficulty blending in with other Athenians, and may even be caught and sent back to slavery because of this. A runaway slave would have no money, belongings, job or place to stay, so they would have a hard time surviving. All of this meant that few slaves ever tried to run away.
If you were an Athenian slave, would you have tried to run away?
Freedmen
Freedmen became people rather than objects under the law, and were not allowed to be hurt by anyone unless in self-defence. They had the freedom to choose where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do. However, they were not citizens. Instead, they were classed as metics, meaning that they still didn’t have the right to participate in politics or the legal system.
Freed slaves faced a lot of prejudice from Athenian citizens and it is likely that many freedmen found life hard. However, there are examples of very successful freedmen who went on to have a lot of money and power. For example, Pasion was a slave so effective at running his master’s bank that when his master died, he inherited the bank instead of one of his master’s sons. After a contribution to Athens, Pasion was given full citizenship and lived as an Ancient Athenian. However, it is important to remember that cases like this were very rare.
What rights did freedmen have, and which did they not have?
Impact of Slavery
Slavery made Athens and a number of its citizens very rich. The farming that slaves completed allowed Athens to export large quantities of goods such as olive oil, which economically benefitted the city. Slaves mined materials such as silver, which made the city (and some of its citizens) very rich. Slaves were often in charge of running their master’s business, such as a barbershop or a bank. This allowed their master to have time to set up more businesses, which contributed to the economy of Athens and made the city much richer.
The money that Athens gained, particularly the money made by mining silver, was largely invested in the Athenian navy. This allowed Athens to protect itself, and also to gain an empire called the Delian League. League members would have to pay fees to Athens, which contributed to Athens’s wealth.
It could be argued that slaves weren’t essential to the economic development of Athens, because if slaves didn’t exist then citizens could do the same work (particularly farming and mining) that made Athens so wealthy. However, having slaves do the work maximised the amount of money made because there was no need to pay slaves. Furthermore, slaves could be forced to do unpleasant work like mining whereas citizens couldn’t: many citizens may not have wanted to work in the mines. In Athens, it was seen as dishonourable for a citizen to work for other citizens. If slaves didn’t exist, therefore, it would have been impossible for any kind of big business to flourish, because no one was willing to be an employee of someone else. Therefore, perhaps slaves were essential for the economic development of Athens.
Slavery allowed citizens more time to develop their culture. This included theatre, philosophy, art and science. If citizens had to spend all of their time doing housework, farming and/or developing their businesses, they would not have had time to create such a rich culture that has influenced many other civilisations.
Slaves helped to keep Athens clean and a nice place to live. For example, slaves helped to build the Parthenon, an incredible piece of Ancient Greek architecture, and helped to rebuild it when it was destroyed in 480 BC. As Scythian Archers, slaves also helped to keep the order in Athens. They were, overall, important in making Athens an appealing place to live. Of course, it could also be argued that if all slaves were freed, citizens would be able to do the same job.
Some say that the Athenian democratic process would not have been possible without slavery. A great amount of time was needed to be able to attend the Assembly (which was held several times a month) and to be a member of the boule or be an archon or general. This was particularly true for citizens who lived in the countryside and had to spend a number of days travelling to and from the Assembly. If these citizens didn’t have slaves who could keep their businesses running in their absence, they would have been unable to participate in democracy. On the other hand, citizens were paid for attending the Assembly, being a member of the Boule and being an Archon in order to reimburse any losses they would have faced by participating in democracy. In a slave-free Athens, citizens could just be paid more for participating in democracy to fully reimburse their losses. This implies that slaves may not have been essential for Athenian democracy to function.
The same argument can be made for the legal system: if not for slavery, citizens would not have been able to afford the time it took to participate in the jury or to prosecute someone. However, they were paid for taking part in the jury, and if this was not sufficient in a world without slaves they could have been paid enough to fully supplement their lost income
Finally, there is the argument that slaves were essential to Athenian citizens because they showed how free they really were. This may have avoided some infighting among different groups of citizens, for example between rich and poor, because all citizens had someone they could group together and look down on: the slaves. Often, when disadvantaged groups can see someone more disadvantaged than them, they become more content with their living standards. Therefore, if slaves didn’t exist, Athenian citizens may not have been as cohesive, and disadvantaged groups may have been more likely to rebel.
Overall, do you think that slaves were essential to the Athenian economy?
Were slaves essential to the development of Athenian culture, in your opinion?
Were slaves essential to Athenian democracy?
What would Athens be like if slaves hadn’t existed? Would it be better or worse than the reality (for Athenian citizens)? What would be the major differences?