How did Mesopotamia acquire the people they enslaved?

Question

a. from people who could not pay their debts
b. from local households
c. from war with other areas
d. from political alliances with other areas

Answer 1

Mesopotamia acquired the people they enslaved primarily through:

c. from war with other areas.

While other factors such as debt (a) and local households (b) may have contributed to the practice of slavery, warfare was a significant source of enslaved individuals in ancient Mesopotamia. Conquests often led to the capture and enslavement of people from defeated cities and regions. Political alliances (d) typically did not involve enslavement but rather cooperation or mutual benefits.