Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c11.217

c11.217

It has been argued that classical Athens, Roman Italy, the West Indian Islands, Brazil and the southern states of the USA were "slave societies" because in each case slaves played an important part in production and formed over 20 per cent of the population.¹ Although we have no statistics for the Mauryan empire, the state sector of agricultural production was certainly run by slaves and agricultural labourers, and in this sense dependent labour formed the back of the Mauryan state. Most Pāli references to slaves and hired labourers working on farms belong to the Mauryan period, and if these are considered along with those found in Kauṭilya, we can legitimately assume that slavery played a very considerable role in agricultural production under the Mauryas. There may be a few doubts about the Mauryan society being considered a slave society, but it can undoubtedly be called a slave-owning society. Had the number of slaves been not substantial and the problem of controlling them insignificant, Aśoka would not have found it necessary to issue instructions for showing mercy and consideration to them; nor would have Kauṭilya given a full section to slavery and wage labour in his *Arthaśāstra*.²