Slavery in History

A wide-ranging survey examines the origins, institutions, and consequences of domestic slavery from antiquity to modern times, treating civilizations such as Egyptians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, various European peoples, and others. Drawing on historical, legal, and religious materials, the author traces slavery’s emergence from war, patriarchal dependency, and economic necessity; compares institutional forms and practices; and argues that slavery systematically undermines social health, corrodes moral and political life, and harms both oppressed and oppressor. The work culminates in a comparative conclusion about slavery’s destructive effects.