Abstract:"The laws even command that he who is ransomed belongs to the one who ransomed him from the enemy, if he does not pay the ransom" ([Dem] 53.11). This is widely regarded as an exception to Solon's law ..."The laws even command that he who is ransomed belongs to the one who ransomed him from the enemy, if he does not pay the ransom" ([Dem] 53.11). This is widely regarded as an exception to Solon's law against enslavement for debt. Harris has made a strong case that the law cited by Apollodoros' opponent did not concern debt-slavery. This paper suggests, furthermore, that the law did not apply to him and his situation at all; that we have misunderstood what this law "commands;" that ransom was a more varied process than scholars have allowed; and that the law on ransom, so often thought to have been an exception to the ban on debt-slavery, may in fact have been essential to the broader objective of which the ban was part.Read More
Publication Year: 2017
Publication Date: 2017-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 3
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot