Topic > Analysis of Ancient Writings on Slavery and Property Management

Many ancient writers, such as Xenophon, Cato the Elder, and others, wrote on household and property management. It is questionable whether Wither's writings could be used as a practical manual that would have informed readers about how to manage property and slaves. An example of this would be writing about slavery and the roles of slaves within the family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Bryson, a Roman writer, wrote about slaves in Oeconomica. He talked about many factors, including how to determine what type of slave would be best for what job. In the Oeconomica Bryson writes quite extensively about slavery. He begins by defining three types of slaves. He then informs the readers of what makes a slave good or bad. Bryson also discusses how to determine whether or not a slave should be purchased. He writes about the role of a slave within the family. Bryson tells readers how a man should protect his servants as he does his limbs and the proper manner and time in which a slave should be punished. Bryson also talks about the best age and breed requirements. He also adds that slaves need rest periods. Bodel highlights how slaves do not really have protected free time. This may suggest that Bryson does not reflect the views of the Romans in his writings and perhaps exaggerates his own views or how he would personally handle the situation. It can be seen that Bryson in his Oeconomica provides a guideline on slavery from how to assign the right tasks to the right person to how to know which slave to buy and how best to treat him. This can easily be seen as a primer, focused specifically on the example of slavery. Since a manual exists to provide information on a particular topic and can act as a kind of manual which is exactly what Bryson does by writing about slaves as he does. It may have been perceived as a home and property management manual, as it clearly states how to handle such matters. Xenophon, a Greek writer, also talks about how he takes care of himself and how and when he uses his slave. In his Oeconomicus, Ischomachus and Socrates argue about family and then raise slaves. Ischomqchus talks about how by eliminating meals and exercising, they will be more likely to survive. Ischomachus also talks about how a slave is able to assist him in daily tasks as if he had “If there is nothing urgent to do in the city, my slave leads my horse to the farm and I take my walk by walking there ”. He also talks about how his slaves assist him on the farm when he is away, as he tells Socrates that “I am not neglecting even the matters to which you refer; because I keep foremen on my farms.” This may be a reflection of Athenian society as it was common for Athenian citizens not to work in "conditions considered humiliating which were key to Athens' democracy". Kyrtatas points out how the use of slaves in this way was very profitable for the masters and since they would not have to pay a wage for free labor, a wage which would be much higher than the maintenance of a slave. They then move on to talk about the qualifications of a qualified slave and what Ischomachus tries to teach his. They talk first of all about loyalty especially when the "master" is absent because they represent them. He then talks about how this is ensured by using rewards that share the abundance Ischomachus may have earned. Ischomachus also tells Socrates that he tries to teach them to be careful. 25-50