Public Slavery in Ancient Greek Thought Political Perspective and Economic Inquiry

Democracy’s Slaves is a remarkable essay. Not only does it illuminate a little-known aspect of ancient slavery that history in general and economic history in particular has neglected in favor of plantation slavery. But it also reflects on the nature of democracy, insofar as public slaves perform the administrative tasks of the city, which Athenian democracy places out of politics. The Greek solution questions the current democracy, which is more about the administration of things than the government of men. Conversely, economic history can usefully question the place and role of public slaves, particularly those responsible for controlling currencies, and encourage a fruitful dialogue to open new studies for understanding the origin of currencies in ancient Greek cities.