History of slavery ?

Slavery has been the part of some of the major civilizations such as ancient Egypt, Akkadian Empire, Ancient Greece, Ancient Persia and Rome. The records can be traced as early as 1760 BC. With the expansion of Roman Republic huge populations were converted into slaves thus creating a vast pool of slaves. These slaves came from wide demography including Greeks, Berbers, Germans, Briton, Jews and Arabs. Slaves were used not only as labors but were also used for the purposes of amusements like gladiators and sex slaves. It is recorded that by the end of republican era, slavery had become a vital economic pillar in the wealth of Rome. In the 15 century Europe colonialism of Africa further brought and strengthened slavery. In fact the maritime town of Lagos, Portugal was the first slave market created in Portugal for the sale of imported African Slaves. During the middle 16th century the focus of European trade in African slaves shifted from import to Europe to slave transport directly to tropical colonies in Americas. Slaves were also exchanged for gold in the African slave market. Subsequently the slavery spread across Spain, Brazil and Arab world. In fact all the 13 American colonies had legitimatized slavery and the profits that came from these slaves were huge. Same was the case of profits of the slave trade and of the West Indian plantations which amounted to 5% of the British economy at the time of industrial revolution. Historians say the Arab slave trade lasted more than millennium. Ibn Battuta told several times that he was given or purchased slaves. Some historians estimate that between 11 and 18 million black African slaves crossed the Red sea, Indian ocean and Sahara desert from 650 AD to 1900 AD, or more than the 9.4 to 12 million Africans brought to the Americas. According to Robert Davis between 1 million and 1.25 million Europeans were captured by Barbary pirates and sold as slaves in North Africa and Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 19th centuries. (http://www.dl.ket.org/latinlit/mores/slaves/, Slavery, retrieved on Nov. 4 2008)