Degrees of freedom: Slavery in mid-first millennium BC Babylonia

2025-01-07 Classification：Archaeology Click()
Author：Baker, HD

Article Title：Degrees of freedom: Slavery in mid-first millennium BC Babylonia

Abstract：
This study examines the position of slaves in private ownership in Babylonia during the sixth and early fifth centuries BC, one of the best documented episodes in the history of ancient Mesopotamia. Drawing primarily on the records kept by a single family living in Babylon, it aims to provide a coherent picture which can then be compared with the evidence from other times and places. Slaves were usually born into the household, and transition, both into and out of servitude, was relatively rare. While the wealthiest families living in Babylon at this time owned considerable numbers of slaves, some of them skilled in craft production, they were not involved in factory-style production, and their manufacturing output did not contribute significantly to household income.

Keywords: slavery; Babylonia; Mesopotamia; history; cuneiform tablets

DOI: 10.1080/00438240126643

Source：WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY

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