slaver in ancient Greece

Slavery Back Then…
Slavery was acceptable, and slavery meant that you must do what is requested. Slave owners had life and death control over their slaves. If a slave owner could not deal with an aggressive slave, that person would be killed. Slaves tended to be pretty passive and obedient.


Slavery
•Homelessness was a very uncommon state in ancient Greece. Unfortunately homeless people were commonly caught into slavery. If they were useful then they were sold. If they were useless they were then killed or allowed to die.
•The family was more important in those days. If your family could not protect you and care for you when you were down and out, then you ended up as a slave.
•The good thing about slavery is that whoever bought you included you in their family.
•If your family is poor then you could be sold into slavery pay of their debts.
•The bad thing was that you were then forced to do drudgery and if you did not work you were killed or left to die. Sex crimes could easily be perpetrated on a slave.



•The Greeks had marble quarries and silver mines. In other parts of
•the world there were copper, lead, gold, tin, iron, and mines for
•precious and semi-precious stone. Slaves did almost everything
•except smelting. They did the dangerous job of going into the earth
• to bring the ore to the surface. They also did the heavy work of removing the earth to expose the ore. They wielded the pick and the
• hammers to drive the drills. Very dry sticks were pounded into the
• holes so when water was applied they swelled and broke the rock.
•The large rocks were broken with picks and hammers and chisels.
•The burden and ore was removed from the mines in sacks on the
•back of slaves. Slaves had to constantly sharpen the tools to work
•the rock. Men and women might be used in the mine. Women also
•may have served as prostitutes as well as cooking and serving food
•and water.