ANCH 010. First-Year Seminar: Slavery in Ancient Greece and Rome

According to the ancient historian M. I. Finley, there have been only five genuine slave societies, and two of them were ancient: those of classical Greece and Rome (the other three are the United States, the Caribbean and Brazil). Slavery was deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life in both societies, since it functioned as the key principle of social organization and the dominant mode of production. This course will explore slavery as a social, political, legal, economic and cultural institution in both the Greek and Roman worlds. In order to consider the impact of slavery on state and society in ancient Greece and Rome we will reflect on a number of topics, including the origins of slavery; the sources, number, legal status and treatment of slaves; ancient attitudes towards slaves and slavery; the family life of slaves; the many forms of slave labor; slave revolts and resistance; and manumission and freedom. We will also consider slavery in the American south to help us situate ancient slavery in a broader historical context.
Social sciences.
Writing course.
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: Classics
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/classics

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