[PDF] The Use of Slaves by the Athenians in Warfare | Semantic Scholar

Among classical scholars there is now almost unanimous agreement that the Athenians in land warfare, with the exception of a few wellknown emergencies, did not permit slaves to take an active part in battles as soldiers. This is admitted to be the case chiefly because of their ingrained idea that fighting was pre-eminently a freeman's job, but also because of the practical reasons of the expense of the armor and the difficulty involved in keeping slaves loyal. Even freemen, if poor, could not…