• Slaves appeared in art but did not have thoughts recorded
• Work of slaves did not always take place in oikos, large numbers were employed in craft industries
• Aristotle wrote that “most men gain their livelihood from the land and its fruits”
• Most trade went by boat, land traffic being slow and expensive
• Diversity of natural resources in ancient world made trade a necessity
• Athenian commerce was driven largely by need for grain to feed large population
• Many rich people in Athens did not own land, as it was illegal to do so without an exception