Greek and Roman slavery

by Thomas Wiedemann

Greek and Roman Slavery brings together fresh English translations of 243 texts and inscriptions on slavery from fifth and fourth century Greece and Rome. The material is arranged thematically, offering the reader a comprehensive review of the idea and practice of slavery in ancient civilization. In addition, a thorough bibliography for each chapter, as well as an extensive index, make this a valuable source for scholars and students.

Genres: History, Greece, Nonfiction, Classics, Roman, Reference, Italy

284 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1980

Reviews

[Jared Saltz]

Slavery is and has been a big deal, but--particularly in the modern world and most particularly in the United States--we tend to think of slavery according to those ideals and ideas of the ante-bellum South. This is not the case when it comes to the ancient world and what Wiedemann has done is the invaluable service of curating and excerpting hundreds of ancient primary sources on the questions of slavery. He has arranged these texts topically and then chronologically. This is a must-read for anyone dealing with ancient slavery.

[Kyle]

Straightforward book about what slavery was like for the Greek and Romans. It is primarily about slavery for Greece in the 400s and 300s BC and Rome in 100 BC-100AD, and uses excerpts from the sources to illustrate its points. It is an excellent way of showing the differences in how slavery was viewed and practiced while also showing the core evil of slavery of total control over another person. [The book does a good job of just explaining things and in so showing how society of the time understood it without trying to make a present judgment. The excerpts speak for themselves.]

[Paige McLoughlin]

Sourcebook on Slavery in the Greco-Roman world. I mean it isn't a pleasant topic to contemplate that these Mediterranean civilizations that we have inherited much from practiced slavery without much of a second thought. I think our version was even more exploitative (but it pricked quite a few consciences it does not seem to be the case in the Grec0-Roman world.)

[Stephen]

A very useful collection of source material, arranged thematically. I thought the information about the lesser known first servile war was particularly interesting. It's a bit unfair to try to rate this book as it is source material. I liked it, but it is never going to be enjoyable the way a novel or any kind of narrative is.

[Joshua Little]

Wiedemann's "Greek and Roman Slavery" is a collection of primary texts regarding slavery in the Greco-Roman world. These texts, translated into English, serve as a helpful & comprehensive aid for any person interested in ancient history.

4/5 Stars

[Dominic Venuso]

Valuable collection of primary sources on ancient slavery.