Slavery in Babylonia

Slavery in  Babylonia was a part of the society, and it will be mentioned in this book again  and again. It is a controversial subject, but I hope the readers will realize that it was entirely different from what we know of slavery in the modern world.  Most of the slaves were Babylonians of the same race and nationality as their  masters, spoke the same language, and worshipped the same gods. The slave was  regarded as a member of the family and was educated at the same level, so many  slaves were skilled artisans and even had literary or scientific knowledge.  Many times slaves were adopted by their  owners and thus became free citizens. The lines separating slavery and freedom  were fuzzy anyway, since a man or a woman could sell themselves to settle a  debt, and later acquire their freedom by various means. Parents could sell  their children, and in certain circumstances brothers could sell their sisters  if they were minors and the parents were dead.

There were  three classes of slaves. The first consisted of people who were the property of  a private family or individual. The second consisted of serfs who were attached  to the land and would be transferred with it if the land was sold, and the  third consisted of temple slaves who were dedicated to the god or goddess of  that temple.

Some slaves  were brought from foreign countries as spoils of war, but since Babylonia was  not particularly military, there was not much traffic in foreign slaves. Mostly  the slaves were sons and daughters of former slaves. There were many laws that  involved the institution of slavery, some protecting the rights of the owners,  some protecting the slaves. The law made it clear that even though the slave  was property, the masters could not maim, beat, injure, or kill them at will.  If the master lent the slave to another person, and the slave was injured, the  person who hurt the slave had to pay high fines. This rule was created to  prevent the temporary owner from abusing the slave, and it was important
because slaves often were apprenticed to others in order to learn a trade,  which would be for the duration of a few years. Some records exist where slaves  even apprenticed themselves to learn a trade, without the need for a separate  contract with their owners. Most important, being a slave did not imply a social  stigma. The slave could not hold a public office, but once he or she acquired  freedom, they could attain high office like any other citizen. Slaves could be  witnesses in court, with their evidence just as important as the evidence of a  free born person.

The wages for  the slaves’ work for other people were paid to their owner, but slaves could also  acquire property and create businesses for themselves. There is evidence  regarding some slaves who became so wealthy that they lent money to their own  masters. Often they used the wealth to buy their freedom. A very interesting  contract exists where a female slave named Khunnatu received furniture and  household goods, rented a house in her own name to put them in, and borrowed  money from her owner with which to buy fifty casks of beer. Clearly the owner  helped Khunnatu to open an inn or a pub. This document is not unique – many  slaves had their own businesses. 
 
However, it  was still slavery. While a slave, a man or a woman was property and could be  given away as a part of someone’s dowry, given as security for a loan, or sold  whenever the master wished to do so. The master had the right to change the  slave’s name, particularly if the slave came from a foreign country.  The reason for the name change is not  entirely clear and it is possible that it was only done during adoption. There  is a contract regarding a young woman named Mutibasti, who was adopted by her  mistress, whose name was Saddasu. The girl’s name was changed to “Zabini, the  daughter of Saddasu” in the contract. Perhaps Zabini was a family name and  keeping it meant the continuation of family tradition. There is evidence that  some slaves ran away from their masters, and in addition, part of the contract  of the sale of a slave involved a guarantee that he or she was not disobedient.  No doubt some masters were harsh or even cruel. However, there was a limit to  the damage that could be done to the slave. For example, the Law protected the  slave from losing his or her family. If one bought a married male slave, the owner was obliged to buy his wife and children. If the slave in  question was a woman with children, the owner was obliged to buy the children  as well as the mother. 
 
The reason  for the rights of slaves, much like the rights of women can be explained by the  commercial nature of Babylonia, where business and practical considerations were  more important than ideology. The Babylonian Law, always interested mostly in  commercial enterprise, stressed individual responsibility and individual  possession of property, and since the slave was a human being and could hold  property, his rights were held as important.