n chains. The prison appears to have been usually under ground, and was lighted by narrow windows. The windows were too high from the ground to be touched by the hand. The slaves confined in an ergastulum were also employed to cultivate the fields in chains. Slaves who had displeased their masters were punished by imprisonment in the ergastulum. This same prison housed all slaves who could not be depended on. A trustworthy slave was placed in charge of the ergastulum, and was called ergastularius. These prisons arose in as a result of the conquest of Italy by the Romans, and the great number of barbarous slaves who were employed to cultivate the conquered lands. In the time of Hadrian and Antoninus, many laws were made to ameliorate the condition of slaves. Hadrian abolished the ergastuala because it was subject to great abuse when used by “tyrannical masters.” Though slavery was maintained, the Islamic dispensation enormously improved the position of the slave. These slaves were not considered merely chattels, but also human beings with a certain religious rights. This warranted social status and with certain quasi-legal rights. The early caliphs who ruled the Islamic community after the death of the Prophet also introduced some further reforms of a humanitarian tendency. The enslavement of free Muslims was soon discouraged and eventually prohibited. Many people seek to define slavery in an attempt to justify the slavery of the New World. While there were cases of harsh treatment of slaves, the condition of their enslavement was not based on the color of their skin. Most slaves in Greco-Roman and African cases were entitled to some rights and were treated as more than chattels or property. While it may not be possible to define slavery using one term that applies to all instances of slavery, slavery can be defined if each instance is looked upon separately. The correct term may not be slavery, but in all cases, one person i...
