Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 10/29/2009

Question
Hello my name is Jesenia,I have a project about ancient Greek slaves. I have a question: How was the lie of Acient Greek salves? How did they got married? Your anwser is 10% of my grade so pleas anwer as fast as possible.

Answer
Slavery in Greece existed but not to the extent that it existed in Roman Italy. I'm not an expert on this particular subject. I doubt that slave marriages were that formalized. They probably only just liked each other and had a relationship. But NOTHING hindered the slave owner to have a relationship with the female slave too (or with the male one for that matter). And the slave owner could sell them off one a a time in different directions if he wanted to. Slaves did NOT have any real rights and could be killed or tortured at the whim of the owner. To have real rights you needed to be a free (male) citizen! Women did not really count in most places in ancient Greece. In for example ancient Athens they lived almost as in extreme Muslim societies today!