Slavery in Classical Greece

by N. Fisher

This is an authoritative and clearly written account of the main
issues involved in the study of Greek slavery from Homeric times to the
fourth century BC. It provides valuable insights into the fundamental
place of slavery in the economies and social life of classical Greece,
and includes penetrating analyses of the widely-held ancient
ideological justifications of slavery. A wide range of topics is
covered, including the development of slavery from Homer to the
classical period, the peculiar form of community slaves (the helots)
found in Sparta, economic functions and the treatment of slaves in
Athens, and the evidence for slaves' resistance. Throughout the author
shows how political and economic systems, ideas of national identity,
work and gender, and indeed the fundamental nature of Greek
civilisation itself, were all profoundly affected by the fact that many
of the Greek city-states were slave societies. With 12 illustrations.

Genres: History, Greece, Ancient History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Janna G. Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short but comprehensive volume on slavery during the Classical period of Ancient Greece. After first drawing a distinction between the chattel slavery of Athens and the system of state-owned slaves practiced in Sparta, Fisher discusses such topics as where chattel slaves came from, societal perceptions of slavery, how slaves were treated by both their masters and society in general, the various duties slaves performed in Classical society, the often unacknowledged debt the development of democracy owes to chattel slavery, differing theories on how widespread chattel slavery was used in agriculture within Classical Athens, the terms of manumission when it occurred, and slave revolts. The book also draws a few key parallels between the slavery of Classical Athens and that imposed upon Africans slaves in the United States.

[Jared Saltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fisher writes a "very small book on a very large subject." The purpose of the volume is not to be exhaustive, but to give readers an idea of the main ideas and diachronic development of slavery up to the Classical era, including the issues with different types of slaves, the development of chattel slavery form Homer to Athens, and the other major questions such as the function and identification of the Helots, numericl data from Athens, etc. A fantastic "first read" on the topic, but limited in scope to pre-classical and classical Greece.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Author is listed as N.R.E Fisher. She appears to have other books on this site under that name. "Hybris" and "Social Values in Classical Athens". This one needs the author name to be corrected.

Does anyone know how to flag a record for a librarian's attention?