Diverse Slaveries: Slaving Strategies and Experiences of Slavery in Classical Athens
Classical Athenian slavery is often discussed as a single phenomenon and Athens’ enslaved as a unitary group. Yet the single legal status that the enslaved shared often obscures the very different characteristics of slavery evident in our evidence. This book provides a nuanced picture of Athenian slavery and its consequences from the perspective of slaveholding strategies, evidencing the varying ways in which Athenian slave owners employed their enslaved and the different methods of social control they utilised to do so. This approach, drawn from the work of historian Joseph Miller, eschews static definitions of ‘the institution of slavery’, in favour of a more dynamic progression of varied, though interrelated, phenomena.

Applying this methodology to classical Athenian evidence sheds light on the complexity of the city state's slave system and explicates the wide variations in the lives of Athenian slaves. Jason Douglas Porter furthers academic understanding of the complex relationships between slavery, Athenian society and economy through recognising the diverse motivations and contexts that drove these varied forms of exploitation.

1146013308
Diverse Slaveries: Slaving Strategies and Experiences of Slavery in Classical Athens
Classical Athenian slavery is often discussed as a single phenomenon and Athens’ enslaved as a unitary group. Yet the single legal status that the enslaved shared often obscures the very different characteristics of slavery evident in our evidence. This book provides a nuanced picture of Athenian slavery and its consequences from the perspective of slaveholding strategies, evidencing the varying ways in which Athenian slave owners employed their enslaved and the different methods of social control they utilised to do so. This approach, drawn from the work of historian Joseph Miller, eschews static definitions of ‘the institution of slavery’, in favour of a more dynamic progression of varied, though interrelated, phenomena.

Applying this methodology to classical Athenian evidence sheds light on the complexity of the city state's slave system and explicates the wide variations in the lives of Athenian slaves. Jason Douglas Porter furthers academic understanding of the complex relationships between slavery, Athenian society and economy through recognising the diverse motivations and contexts that drove these varied forms of exploitation.

115.0 Pre Order
Diverse Slaveries: Slaving Strategies and Experiences of Slavery in Classical Athens

Diverse Slaveries: Slaving Strategies and Experiences of Slavery in Classical Athens

by Jason Douglas Porter
Diverse Slaveries: Slaving Strategies and Experiences of Slavery in Classical Athens

Diverse Slaveries: Slaving Strategies and Experiences of Slavery in Classical Athens

by Jason Douglas Porter

Hardcover

$115.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
    Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on March 31, 2025
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Store Pickup available after publication date.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Classical Athenian slavery is often discussed as a single phenomenon and Athens’ enslaved as a unitary group. Yet the single legal status that the enslaved shared often obscures the very different characteristics of slavery evident in our evidence. This book provides a nuanced picture of Athenian slavery and its consequences from the perspective of slaveholding strategies, evidencing the varying ways in which Athenian slave owners employed their enslaved and the different methods of social control they utilised to do so. This approach, drawn from the work of historian Joseph Miller, eschews static definitions of ‘the institution of slavery’, in favour of a more dynamic progression of varied, though interrelated, phenomena.

Applying this methodology to classical Athenian evidence sheds light on the complexity of the city state's slave system and explicates the wide variations in the lives of Athenian slaves. Jason Douglas Porter furthers academic understanding of the complex relationships between slavery, Athenian society and economy through recognising the diverse motivations and contexts that drove these varied forms of exploitation.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781399526746
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Publication date: 03/31/2025
Series: Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Slavery
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Jason Douglas Porter is the holder of a Leverhulme Early-Career fellowship at the University of Edinburgh. He previously held a postdoctoral position at the UniversityCollege Dublin, after completing his doctoral thesis at the University of Nottingham. His PhD and following research has focused on historic slavery, predominantly in classical Athens, and he has published several articles, books chapters, and book reviews in this area.

Table of Contents

Series Editors’ Preface
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations


Introduction

I. Divergent Slaving Strategies

1. The Motivations behind Different Slaving Strategies.
2. The Development of Diverse Slaving Strategies in Relation to the Work of Enslaved Persons.
3. The Diversity of Slaving Strategies within Industries.

II. The Slaving Strategies of Athenian Households: Two Case Studies
4. Xenophon’s Ideal Household: Direct Management and Increasing Wealth through Slavery in the Oikonomikos.
5. The Real Household of Demosthenes: Rentier Strategies and the Building of a Political Career.

III. Diverse Experiences of Slavery

6. Slaving Strategies and the Lives of Athens’ Enslaved

Conclusion

Appendix: Athenian Wealth Distribution and the Feasibility of Widespread Slave Ownership
Bibliography
Index

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews