Slavery in Ancient Greece - Terminology

Terminology

The ancient Greeks had many words to describe slaves which need to be placed in context to avoid ambiguity. In Homer, Hesiod and Theognis of Megara, the slave was called δμώς / dmôs. The term has a general meaning but refers particularly to war prisoners taken as booty, in other words, property. During the classical period, the Greeks frequently used ἀνδράποδον / andrápodon, literally, "one with the feet of a man", as opposed to τετράποδον / tetrapodon, "quadruped", or livestock. The most common word is δοῦλος / doûlos, an earlier form of which appears in Mycenaean inscriptions as do-e-ro, used in opposition to "free man" (ἐλεύθερος / eleútheros). The verb δουλεὐω (which survives in modern Greek, meaning work) can be used metaphorically for other forms of dominion, as of one city over another or parents over their children. Finally, the term οἰκέτης / oikétês was used, meaning "one who lives in house", referring to household servants.

Other terms used were less precise and required context:

• θεράπων / therápôn – At the time of Homer, the word meant "squire" (Patroclus was referred to as the therapôn of Achilles and Meriones that of Idomeneus); during the classical age, it meant "servant".
• ἀκόλουθος / akólouthos – literally, "the follower" or "the one who accompanies". Also, the diminutive ἀκολουθίσκος, used for page boys.
• παῖς / pais – literally "child", used in the same way as "houseboy", also used in a derogatory way to call adult slaves.
• σῶμα / sôma – literally "body", used in the context of emancipation.