Managing female slaves in ancient Sri Lanka
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Date
2007
Authors
Wickramasinghe, Chandima
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Peradeniya
Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate how female' slaves' in the island in ancient times were treated and punished in the course of managing them and to examine whether the legal and social treatment and punishments varied according to their gender. Consequently, this study will help us to grasp the institution of 'slavery' in the island better. The difficulty of the present task should also be noted at this point as this could perhaps be the reason why no attempt was so far taken to study female 'slaves' in ancient Sri Lanka. Since the evidence is sparse and is scattered through several millennia leaving certain periods in history without any literary or epigraphic evidence, the study requires a broader chronological frame: from the third century Be to early nineteenth century AD (i.e before 1815). However, obvious drawbacks of trying to draw general conclusions over such a wide span of time are mitigated by the apparent absence of radical changes in the social conditions within the period, with the exception of the Kandyan period (1529- 1815).
Description
Keywords
Famale slaves , History
Citation
University of Peradeniya