The History of Slavery in Ancient Greece

The origins of slavery are not precisely understood, but there certainly were slaves in the Mycenaean period. Slavery is not something that leaves behind much trace in the archaeological record as it is hard to identify any sort of defined area. The institution of slavery was once again in existence by the 8th century BC when it appears to have been widespread among poorer sections of society. In Homer's Iliad and Odyssey we do see some male slaves, a prime example being the swine-heard Umayyas who was kidnapped by Phoenician pirates.