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We know something about the mines in southern Athens,
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where the silver was found
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and that reveals a different picture.
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Nicias, a wealthy Athenian of fifth century B.C.,
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owned a thousand slaves,
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whom he rented to a mining contractor for a profit.
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But this is unique;
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we don't know of anything like this besides this situation,
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and it's by far the largest number of slaves
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that we know any individual held.
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In another instance of large slave holdings in Athens,
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a family of resident aliens employed about