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Questions about Slavery in ancient Greece

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What terms did ancient Greek poets use to describe enslaved individuals?

Greek poets used the term dmōs to describe war captives taken as property during the classical period. Later writers preferred andrapodon meaning one with human feet contrasting them with four-legged livestock. The most common term became doulos standing in direct opposition to eleutheros or free man.

How many slaves did Strategos Nicias lease to silver mines at Laurion in Attica?

Strategos Nicias leased a thousand slaves to the silver mines at Laurion in Attica. Estimates suggest thirty thousand individuals worked within the Laurion mines and ore mills. These leases generated significant income for their owners through daily wages of one obolus per slave.

When was the population of Olynthus reduced to slavery by Athens?

The population of Olynthus was reduced to slavery in 348 BC following its destruction. War provided the most consistent source of enslaved individuals throughout Greek history including this event. Thucydides reported that inhabitants of Hyccara in Sicily were sold for one hundred twenty talents after being captured by Nicias.

What legal penalties applied to the murder of a slave under Draco's law?

Draco's law punished the murder of a slave with death involving religious pollution known as dikē phonikē. Suspects faced judgment by the Palladion court which handled unintentional homicide cases. Exile sometimes replaced execution when citizens committed such acts against enslaved people.

From what century onward did manumission exist in Chios according to historical records?

Manumission existed in Chios from the sixth century BC onward through informal emancipations requiring witnesses escorting the citizen to public tribunals. This practice became outlawed in Athens around the middle of the sixth century BC to avoid disorder. Inscriptions recovered from shrines at Delphi and Dodona date primarily to the second and first centuries BC.