Ideas of Slavery from Aristotle to Augustine (The W. B. Stanford Memorial Lectures)

Though a particularly niche subject, this book was invaluable for me. I'm a student studying ancient history and without this book as a guide I can honestly say I might not have passed some of my social history exams. Garnsey handles the complexity of slavery in the ancient world as well as late antiquity in a fascinating way. For me, the most interesting sections are in part 2 in which he makes direct comparisons between philosophers and theologians of the time. Unlike other modern academics, Garnsey's writing style is very fluid and easy to read even for a non-specialist. If you're interested in slavery from antiquity generally and have no background in it, this book is probably a good read at some point. Be aware that this book focusses on the 'idea' of slavery so archeology of slave life doesn't play a significant part in the work. It is a book of theory and doesn't focus on the lives of slaves in antiquity but rather how they were perceived by the contemporary elite. All in all this is a brilliant book and I would recommend it highly.