At this point I’ve mentioned how one of the primary ways that Greeks and Romans were enslaved or enslaved people was through warfare. One of the questions related to this practice is how often the Greeks and Romans enslaved the people they either conquered or beat in battle. While it may at first seem like an obvious benefit to enslave everybody once you conquer them, that position ignores how costly it is to move slaves around and take care of them. It is much more efficient to simply demand tribute from a conquered town, as the amount of labor that conquerors put in is much smaller and the rewards just as great. This isn’t to say that the Greeks and Romans didn’t enslave people in war: they did, usually when the people they conquered had enraged them. A famous example would be how Alexander the Great enslaved the entire population of Thebes because they had previously rebelled against him (Plutarch, Life of Alexander).
I was originally going to write about the capture of enemy soldiers and ransom, but it’s late. Hopefully I’ll get to that tomorrow.
I was originally going to write about the capture of enemy soldiers and ransom, but it’s late. Hopefully I’ll get to that tomorrow.