Slavery in Great Levantia: Difference between revisions

As the prospect of foreign conquests came to a definitive end by the latter half of the 3rd century and as slaves gained increasing legal protection and possibility of manumission, slaves became harder to procure and more expensive to acquire. Accordingly, many of the large landowners of Great Levantia began the transition from slavery to free Levantine citizens from cities, particularly with respect to agricultural activities. This process precipitated a period of several centuries where cities would become largely depopulated, also reducing the need for large staffs of household slaves in urban homes of the elite. The slow transition to serfdom which began around this period not only lead to major economic changes but lead to a concentration of existing slaves to be sent to mines. Following centuries of improvement with respect to their legal position, the material conditions of slaves suddenly plummeted and life expectancies grew significantly shorter.

===Functional end of slavery===