Diverse Slaveries - (Edinburgh Studies in Ancient Slavery) by Jason Douglas Porter (Hardcover)

About the Book

A study of classical Athenian strategies and the different forms of slavery they fashioned.

Book Synopsis

Classical Athenian slavery is often discussed as a single phenomenon and Athens' enslaved as a unitary group. Yet the single legal status that the enslaved shared often obscures the very different characteristics of slavery evident in our evidence. This book provides a nuanced picture of Athenian slavery and its consequences from the perspective of slaveholding strategies, evidencing the varying ways in which Athenian slave owners employed their enslaved and the different methods of social control they utilised to do so. This approach, drawn from the work of historian Joseph Miller, eschews static definitions of 'the institution of slavery', in favour of a more dynamic progression of varied, though interrelated, phenomena.

Applying this methodology to classical Athenian evidence sheds light on the complexity of the city state's slave system and explicates the wide variations in the lives of Athenian slaves. Jason Douglas Porter furthers academic understanding of the complex relationships between slavery, Athenian society and economy through recognising the diverse motivations and contexts that drove these varied forms of exploitation.

Review Quotes

This book makes an important contribution to current debates on Athenian slavery. Its centre is the detailed exploration of the wide range of management strategies adopted by slave owners in pursuit of varied aims; and the equally diverse effects these had on the experiences of the enslaved and their opportunities for agency, advancement and the formation of varied social relationships. Porter supports his illuminating analyses of a wealth of Athenian texts with the telling use of comparative evidence from other slave systems.--Nick Fisher, Cardiff University

Through meticulous attention to the ancient sources and judicious use of comparative material, Jason Porter shows persuasively that slavery in Athens was not a monolithic institution, illuminating the various methods of exploitation used by enslavers and exploring the repercussions of these differences on the lives of the enslaved themselves.--Deborah Kamen, University of Washington