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degreeofcivilrightsandasizeabledegreeofprotectionagainstabuse
andmolestation.AsearlyastheMedianera,itisnotedthat“theson
ofanobleMedecanplaywiththesonofaslaveonequalterms”
(Diakonoff1985b,136-137,quotingHerodotus;5Borbor2008,112)
whichismorethanonecansayfor20thcenturyAmerica.6Thewide-
ranginglabourforceofIranhasalwaysbeenformedoffreemen.
Agriculturallabourconsistedoffreefarmers;theindustrial,the
constructionandhandicraftssectorswereservedbyfreeartisans.
Thesocalled“debtslavery,”7wasaformofprivateserving
ofasentence.Acreditorcouldtakechargeofaninsolventdebtorwho
wouldbeputtothepersonalservicesofthecreditor,notasaslave,
butasservinganout-of-prisonsentence.Moreover,asfurther
protection,thecreditorcouldnotsellsuchadebtorintothecustody
ofathirdparty.Usuallythedebtorpaidofftheloanbyfreeworkfor
thecreditor,therebyretaininghisfreedom.Debtslavery,which
persistedintheUnitedStatesuntil1956,andpledgingone’sperson
fordebt,nottomentionself-sale,hadtotallydisappearedbythe
AchaemenianIran(Dandamayev1989,763).
Dandamayev(1989,762)states:“InMediaacustomexisted
wherebyapoormancouldplacehimselfatthedisposalofarich
personifthelatteragreedtofeedhim.Thepositionofsuchamanwas
similartothatofaslave.”Thisisnotcorrect,itwasnotsimplythe
questionof“feeding”theperson.Thiswaspureandsimple
employmentandtheemployerhadtoguaranteetheemployees
sustenance,wellbeing,medicalcareandprotection,thoughtheperson
maynothavereceivedanofficialfixedsalary.Inmostcasessuch
personswerelookeduponaspartofthefamilyandfunctionedvery
muchonthesamebasisasthemodern“aupair”practiceofboardand
lodging.Thistraditionexisteduptothetwentiethcentury.Contrary
tothestatementofDiakonoff(1985b,136)whoassociatedthesewith
“slaveswithinthe
familia
”ortheassumptionthat“thepatriarchal
familyextendedtoincludeslaves,appearstohavebeenafeaturealso
ofAvestansociety,”these,whethermaleorfemale,werenotslavesbut
freecitizenswhoenteredtheserviceofapersonvoluntarilyandcould
leaveattheirfreewillwhenevertheywished.
Mādayānīhazārdādestān
(“BookofaThousandJudgments”)8
isanurbane,wide-ranging,andall-embracingbookofjurisprudence
andofcommonlawwhichhascomedowntous.Itexhibitsthe
