History Chapter 6 - Slavery PDF

# Chapter 6 - Slavery To celebrate their incredible victory over the best of the Persian Empire, Athens declared itself a fully democratic and sovereign realm. This was by no means an unprecedented move, of course, given that Athenian rulers had already created a somewhat democratic system that had...

# Chapter 6 - Slavery To celebrate their incredible victory over the best of the Persian Empire, Athens declared itself a fully democratic and sovereign realm. This was by no means an unprecedented move, of course, given that Athenian rulers had already created a somewhat democratic system that had been in use for many years. It was the goal of many within the government, however, to improve that system for the betterment of all Athenians. In any case, the city proudly brandished its democratic ideologies in the face of its tyrannical enemies. And yet, slavery remained a fundamental cog in the Athenian machine. The ancient Greeks practiced slavery as if it were a natural part of the human experience. Even Aristotle, a great philosopher born a century afterward, still believed that it was necessary for humans to rule over other humans to establish a sensible order. The definition of an Athenian citizen was mostly based on the discrimination of women, immigrants, and slaves. To qualify for Athenian citizenship, one had to be a male of at least eighteen years in age with two Athenian-born parents. Such restrictive citizenship meant that slaves largely outnumbered voting Athenians. Slaves were mostly foreigners from other Greek kingdoms, having been subjugated under the conquering armies of Athens or bought outright from local merchants. Athenian slaves were perhaps the most civilly treated in all of Hellas, as it was frequently noted by outsiders that: "...the Athenians allow their slaves to live in a lap of luxury, and some of them indeed live in a life of real magnificence, this too is something that they can be seen to do with good reason. For where power is based on the navy, because of the need for money there is no choice but to end up enslaved to slaves, so that we can take a share of their earnings, and to let them go free...This is why in the matter of freedom of speech we have put slaves on equal terms with free men, and [former slaves] with citizens, for the city needs [former slaves] because of all its skilled activities and because of the fleet." Athenians used their slaves for many purposes. Many of the slave women provided household cooking and cleaning services for their masters or were sent to state-run brothels to work. Large numbers of captive slaves were taken from conquered lands en masse and put to work in the rock quarries and silver mines. Hundreds at a time, from conquered neighboring realms, were taken to Athens and given civil duties. They were instructed to form a police force within Athens, to build public edifices and new homes, or work the farmland. Indeed, anyone who worked in manual labor in Athens was either a slave or a poor citizen. Free men with the means to own slaves sent them to perform the necessary work of the day while they put their minds to philosophy, art, architectural design, and above all, politics. Pericles, a popular statesman of Athens during its Golden Age, once remarked that a man who did not bother to think on matters of the state was beyond apathetic - he was useless. The practice of self-government was very important to Athenians. Women, foreigners, and slaves were not destined to become a part of this system, however. Athenian men of means enjoyed the ultimate of luxuries in that they had the time and wherewithal to pursue entertainment and philosophy. They loved music, dance, and art, and they made sure their children were taught to play a musical instrument. Usually, this was the lyre, an ancient precursor to the guitar. Dancers were generally enslaved women, as were the musicians and even those responsible for piecing together Athens’ famous mosaic artworks. Citizens who felt a particular passion for music or art also took part in exhibitions. When the men weren’t enjoying a show, they were often found debating politics. Naturally, this left the infrastructure of Athens in the hands of its imported slaves, and they complied, having very little choice. Female slaves mostly took on household jobs of food preparation, maintenance, cleaning, and child care, while the men were sent to do hard labor in the fields, mines, and quarries. Not all male slaves suffered in the fields or rock pits, however. Since Athens’ slave population included many educated men who had been stolen from their lands, these men were put to work as guards, police, teachers, doctors, shopkeepers, and personal ancillaries. It was considered best practice for slave owners to keep their male and female slaves apart and in separate quarters to better control any fraternization and sexual relationships that could lead to children. Unlike other slave-owning societies, the Athenians did not try to breed their own race of bonded workers; still, it was not uncommon for female slaves to give birth while in service to a citizen or family. These children were kept as the property of the household, but they usually enjoyed greater freedoms than their parents. Born slaves were entrusted with the entire welfare of the household’s free children, and even their financial records and savings. To have a slave as your accountant was not a strange thing to an ancient Athenian. Wealthy citizens could amass great numbers of personal slaves which they used to provide extra income for their own households. A rich Greek would lease his slaves to the city or army and thereby make a comfortable and passive income. In a civilization without monetary currency (at least until the 6th century BCE), one’s slaves served as a measure of his wealth. The more slaves you owned, the more work could be done; the more goods procured and sold, the more rent you could earn from leasing them out. Economically speaking, slave ownership was more indicative of a man’s importance and influence in a city more than money is today. The Athenian government was also a slave-owning body which generally used its holdings to populate the army. With no distinct differences in the physical features of slaves and citizens, and no distinct clothing to separate the two, it was not easy to know right away who was enslaved or not. Most slaves wore a simple, short white tunic called a chiton, which was also considered appropriate dress for citizens and women alike. It was much easier to pinpoint members of the wealthier families since their fashions more often included brightly colored tunics and cloaks. Dyed cloth was more expensive than plain linen, so it was only used by the aristocracy. Athenian slaves may have been among the best treated in history, but they were still under the dominion of their masters and subject to beatings. Such behavior was not considered civilized by most citizens, even though the laws of the city mostly allowed for this. There were several specificities when it came to the law and violence against the enslaved. If a citizen inflicted harm onto the slave of another, the owner was in his rights to sue for damages. Conversely, a citizen could be taken to court for beating his slave too hard; he would also be sentenced to death if the individual he’d beaten died. It was not impossible for an Athenian slave to remove his or her bonds, and some households actually allowed for their slaves to save money for the eventual purchase of their freedom. It was, however, very rare that a freeman was granted the full rights of a citizen of Athens.