Slavery in the Ancient World and the United States
Throughout history, civilizations have sought inexpensive labor to assist with projects both routine and momentous. Unfortunately, many civilizations have obtained this labor through enslavement. From the building of the Parthenon, to the White House, to mundane, everyday tasks, slaves have been vital to the establishment and continued success of numerous past civilizations. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in ancient Greece and Rome and in the first centuries of the United States. Slavery in all three of these civilizations slavery has its parallels, but the very institution varies widely between these societies as well. Although ancient Greek and Roman slavery and slavery in the United …show more content…
However, slaves in the ancient world also could possibly be treated quite well. While the helots of Sparta and the slaves of Ancient Rome were treated much like slaves in the United States, subject to constant whipping and branding, punishment, slaves in other parts of Ancient Greece might be seen as a welcome part of the family. They might be allowed to live outside of the family house, make money themselves after completing work for their masters (though the profits had to be split with their owner), and may even be buried with their master’s family when they died. These slaves could be immensely loyal to their masters, so much so that, if required to testify in court, their testimony must be obtained through torture or else they may lie to protect their master. In contrast, the slaves of the United States, Ancient Rome, and Sparta were subjected to extreme cruelty. Ancient Roman, Spartan, and U.S. slaves could be killed without repercussions under the law, could be beaten and raped, and were completely subject to the whims of their owners. While this was mostly true of the rest of Ancient Greece as well, the autonomy and treatment of Greek slaves was overall better than other