Tag Archives: Robert C. Davis

slavery to serfdom: the empire strikes black

There were some hairsplitting decisions in slavery such as between the general flow of human cargo and sub-categories such as the commercial transactions regarding eunuchs for example. But distinctions have to be drawn. The ancient world was in many respects … Continue reading

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how much is that slave in the window?

As a commodity, slaves created peculiar problems for the merchant. Apparently in the larger cities there were a few shops where slaves could be bought: in Rome in Nero’s time they were concentrated near the temple of Castor in the … Continue reading

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deathbed manumissions

It is a particular institution of the Old World: slavery. The Greeks and Romans practiced slavery and condoned it- for war, for luxury, and for business. But even they knew it to be evil… Bills of sale were usually written … Continue reading

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