Slavery was endemic to the Ancient
World probably since days of Cain
Slavery was endemic to the Ancient World for one very salient reason: many occupations were not productive unless a large and cheap labor force was available. Agriculture, mining, artisan production and even wealthy households could not function without a cheap labor supply. With the emphasis on cheap slave labor was the usual source of cheap labor. Certainly it was one of the goals of conquest to capture a large labor supply for the conqueror and any surplus was sold abroad. Life for a slave could range from very brutal conditions, gallery oarsman, to very comfortable conditions, steward of a wealthy house hold like Joseph in Egypt (Ge 39:1-5). Without slavery the Ancient World would not have developed and our lives would be very different today. Continue reading “Looking at Labor on Labor Day”