Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology (Pelican S.)

Inthisthought-provokingstudyofslaveryinancientGreeceandItaly,SirMosesFinleydiscusseshowslavesocietiescameintobeingandconsidersthemoral,social,andeconomicunderpinningsthatallowedthemtoprosper.HiscomparisonofancientslavesocietieswiththeirrelativelymoderncounterpartsintheNewWorldopensanewperspectiveonthehistoryofslavery.SirMoses'inquiryshedslightonthecomplexwaysinwhichideologicalinterestsaffecthistoricalinterpretation.Slaveshavebeenexploitedinmostsocietiesthroughouthumanhistory,buttherehavebeenonlyfivegenuineslavesocieties,andofthese,twowereinantiquity:classicalGreeceandclassicalItaly.Inthismajornewbook,thedistinguishedhistorianSirMosesFinleyexaminesthosetwosocieties,notinisolation,butincomparisonwiththeother,relativelymodernslavesocietiesoftheNewWorld.