Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

106 Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks
oneself into slavery), or by being captured in war. At most times in
Greek history, there were probably more people who were either
born into slavery or who were sold into slavery than who became
slaves as a result of war, though this situation began to be reversed
from the third century b.c.e. onward, when the Romans enslaved
Greeks whom they had captured in war. Although a small minority
of slaves who had faithfully served their masters or mistresses
earned their freedom, we know very little about their lives subsequently.
It is highly unlikely, however, that they were integrated
into Athenian society in the way that Roman freedmen were integrated
into Roman society.
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.e. In the world evoked by the Homeric poems, most slaves were
obtained by piracy, kidnapping, or warfare. Odysseus’s swineherd
Eumaios, for instance, was captured and sold into slavery as a
child. Enslavement is the fate that awaits the female members of the
royal household when Troy is taken. It would also have been the
common fate of women and children in historical times whenever
a besieged city fell. In late eighth- or early seventh-century b.c.e.
Greece, slavery appears to have been widespread even among the
poorest section of society. Hesiod (Works and Days 405f.) is of the
opinion that an ox and a “bought woman” are an essential part
of a small farmer’s holding. In the Archaic Period, many Greeks
became enslaved as a result of debt bondage. Debt bondage was
a temporary status, and at least some who entered it would have
later bought back their freedom. In practice, however, it was a very
difficult condition to escape from, and, more frequently than not,
it became not only permanent but also hereditary. One of the great
achievements of the lawgiver Solon was to free all Athenians who
had become enslaved as a result of debt in about 594 b.c.e. In other
parts of the Greek world, however, debt bondage remained common
practice.
The Size of Athens’s Slave Population
Slaves in Athens are thought to have greatly outnumbered those
in any other Greek community, though we have no reliable figures
to determine the size of the population. The only surviving slave
census relates to the late fourth century b.c.e. The total, which is
put at 400,000, exceeds all bounds of credibility. Modern estimates