S
lavery
has existed in India since the time of the Mauryas at least. However,
since Indian society has throughout been subject
to the strictly-enforced caste
system, the
differences between those in the lowest caste and the lot of the
slaves are
not very great and, in some cases, it may have been better to be a
slave. For example, a low caste person had to
work constantly to obtain food and
water while
slaves occasionally (although not very often) could have time off
from work.
Laws also existed as to what sort of treatment it was permitted to
use
with slaves: they could be beaten on the back but not the head, for
example,
while a woman who was made pregnant by her master
would, at th
e
moment of birth, be freed together with her child. Of course, no one can
minimize the misery of being enslaved and it is
almost certain that many masters
were able
to disregard these kinds of rules but, nevertheless, at least some
structure of protection were provided. These were
supplemented by both Hindu and
Buddhist
precepts, which will also have been influential in affecting the
behaviour
of some people.
A
large number of slaves appear to have been sourced from Greece and Greek
colony cities. This is shown both by written
records and by illustrations of the
people
involved. The female slave armies that protected the king’s
harem
were
frequently known as Ionians and
fought
hard to maintain the traditions, names and language of their homelands.
Other slaves were bought by traders from the
west, bringing people from Africa,
Arabia and
from time to time, no doubt, the European mainland as well. Traders
in
eastern waters surely did the same, with slaves brought from Sri Lanka
and
Southeast Asia. It was also possible for
free-born Indians to become slaves,
perhaps
through a court decision after having committed a serious crime. Others
might be enslaved as a result of war or
trafficking but it was also possible for
people to
put themselves up for enslavement. They could put their freedom at
stake as surety for a cash loan or for a gambling
stake. However, enslavement
need not
be permanent. A financial arrangement could be made in these cases but,
if
worst came to worst, slaves were allowed one chance to try to escape and,
if
they managed to get away, they were permitted to
claim their freedom
permanently.
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Copyright
John
Walsh
. Contact the author to obtain
permission
for republication.
John Walsh
- I am a
lecturer in business
with a wide range of interests. These include
anything relating to East and
Southeast
Asia, especially
...
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