Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

SERV US. SERVUS. 1035
five minas and others even for ten; and Nicias the slaves, that they were employed in various workson of Niceratus is said to have given no less than shops, mines, or manufactories: the number which
a talent for an overseer in the mines." Bickh a person kept to attend to his own private wants or
(Publ. Econ. of Athens, p. 67, &c., 2d ed.) has those of his household, was probably never very
collected many particulars respecting the price of large. And this constitutes one great distinction
slaves; he calculates the value of a common mining between Greek and Roman slaves, that the labour
slave at from 125 to 150 drachmas. The know- of the former was regarded as the means by which
ledge of any art had a great influence upon the an owner might obtain profit for the outlay of his
value of a slave. Of the thirty-two or thirty- capital in the purchase of the slaves, while the
three sword-cutlers who belonged to the father of latter were chiefly employed in ministerinlg to the
Demosthenes, some were worth five, some six, and wants of their master and his family, and in gratithe lowest more than three minas; and his twenty fying his luxury and vanity. Thus Athenaeus
couch-makers together were worth 40 minas (in (vi. p. 272, e) remarks, that many of the Romans
Aphob. i. p. 816). Considerable sums were paid possess 10,000 or 20,000 slaves and even more,
for courtezans and female players on the cithara; but not, he adds, for the sake of bringing in a
twenty and thirty minas were common prices for revenue, as the wealthy Nicias.
sech (Ter. A4delp/. iii. 1. 37, iii. 2. 15, iv. 7. 24; Slaves either worked on their masters' account
Phsorm. iii. 3. 24): Neaera was sold for thirty or their own (ill the latter case they paid their
minas. (Demosth. c. Neaer. p. 1354. 16.) masters a certain sum a day); or they were let,.The number of slaves was very great in Athens. out by their master on hire either for the mines or
According to the census made when Demetrius any other kind of labour, or as hired servants for
Phalereus was archon (B. c. 309), there are said wages (&7roeoopd). The rowers on board the ships
to have been 21,000 free citizens, 10,000 Metics, were usually slaves (Isocrat. de Pace, p. 169, ed.
and 400,000 slaves in Attica (Ctesicles, ep. Atlen. Steph.); it is remarked as an unusual circumstance,
vi. p. 272, c): according to which the slave popu- that the seamen of the Paralos were freelen.
lation is so immensely large in proportion to the (Thuc. viii. 73.) These slaves either belonged
free, that some writers have rejected the account to the state or to private persons, who let themn out
altogether (Niebuhr, Hist. of Rosme vol. ii. note to the state on payment of a certain sum. It ap143), and others have supposed a corruption in the pears that a considerable number of persons kept
numbers and that for 400,000 we ought to read large gangs of slaves merely for the purpose of
40,000. (Hume, Essays, vol. i. p. 443.) Bickh letting out, and found this a profitable mode of inand Clinton (F. If. ii. p. 391), however, remark vesting their capital. Great numbers were required
with some justice, that in computing the citizens for the mines, and in most cases the mine-lessees
and metics the object was to ascertain their po- would be obliged to hire some, as they would not
litical and military strength, and hence the census have sufficient capital to purchase as many as they
of only males of fuill age was taken; while in wanted. We learn fromn a fragment of IHyperides
enumerating slaves, which were property, it would preserved by Suidas (s.v.'AVre1q(PiUsaro), that there
be necessary to conipute all the individuals who were at one time as many as 150,000 slaves, who
composed that property. Bclckh takes the pro- worked in the mines and were employed in country
portion of free inhabitants to slaves as nearly one labour. Gellerally none but inferior slaves were
to four in Attica, Clinton as rather more than confined in these mines: they worked in chains,
three to one; but whatever may be thought of and numbers died from the effects of the unwholethese calculations, the ilain fact, that the slave some atmosphere. (Bbekh, Os thle Silver AMisnes of
population in Attica was much larger than the Laurssion.) We cannot calculate with accuracy
free, is incontrovertible: during the occupation of what was the usual rate of profit which a slaveDecelea by the Lacedaemonians, more than 20,000 proprietor obtained. The thirty-two or thirtyAthenian slaves escaped to this place. (Thuc. vii. three sword-cutlers belonging to the father of D)e27.) In Corinth and Aeginra their number was mosthenes produced annually a net profit of 30
equally large: according to Timaeus, Corinth minas, their purchase value being 190 minas, sand
had 460,000, and according to Aristotle Aegina the twenty couch-makers a profit of 12 minias,
470,000 slaves (Athen. 1. c.), blt these large naum- their purchase value being 40 minas. (Demosth. in
bers, especially in relation to Aegina, must be un- Aphob. i. p. 816.) The leather-workers of Timarderstood only of the early times, before Athens chus produced to their masters two, the overseers
had obtained possession of the commerce of Greece. three, oboli a day (Aeschin. in Tinm. p. 118):
At Athens even the poorest citizen had a slave Nicias paid an obolus a day for each mining slave
for the care of his household (Aristoph. Plut. init.), which he hired. (Xen. Vect. iv. 14.) The rate
and in every moderate establishment many were of profit upon the purchase-money of the slaves
employed for all possible occupations, as bakers, was naturally high, as their value was destroyed
cooks, tailors, &c. The number possessed by one by age, and those who died had to be replaced by
person was never so great as at Rome during fresh purchases. The proprietor was also exposed
the later times of the republic and unIlder the em- to the great danger of their rsunning away, when it
pire, but it was still very considerable. Plato (de became necessary to pursue them and offer rewards
Rtep. ix. p. 578) expressly remarks, that some per- for their recapture (oi&Tpa, Xen. Mere. ii. 10.
sons had fifty slaves and even more. This was ~ 1, 2; PFlat. Prottg. p. 310). AntigenIes of
about the number which the father of Demosthenes Rhodes was the first that established an insurance
possessed (in Aphob. i. p. 823); Lysias and Pole- of slaves. For,s yearly contribution of eight
marchus had 120 (Lys. its EsIrtostlh. p. 395), drachmas for each slave that was in the army, he
Philemonides had 300, Hipponicus 600, and Nicias undertook to make good the valie of the slave it
1000 slaves in the mines alone. (Xen. de Fect. iv. the tisne of his runnling away. (Pseudo-Arist.
14, 15.) It must be borne in mind, wlhenl we read Occon. c. 35.) Slaves that worked in the fields
of one person possessing so large a number of were under an overseers (47rivporo0s), to whomlll the