Lesson plan
Lesis
Lesis was an Ancient Greek slave from Classical Athens. In 1972, during an excavation in the Ancient Agora of Athens, near Stoa Basileios, a lead tablet from the 4th century BC was discovered. The tablet was a letter by Lesis, who wrote: The letter was written for Xenokles, his master, and his mother. He is one of few recorded literate slaves in Ancient Greece, and the only evidence of Ancient Greek slaves being beaten. Scholar David R. Jordan placed doubts that Lesis was actually a slave, arguing that he was an apprentice, and his mother put him under supervision of the foundry owner to teach metalworking.
Article summary
Lesis was an Ancient Greek slave from Classical Athens. In 1972, during an excavation in the Ancient Agora of Athens, near Stoa Basileios, a lead tablet from the 4th century BC was discovered. The tablet was a letter by Lesis, who wrote: The letter was written for Xenokles, his master, and his mother. He is one of few recorded literate slaves in Ancient Greece, and the only evidence of Ancient Greek slaves being beaten. Scholar David R. Jordan placed doubts that Lesis was actually a slave, arguing that he was an apprentice, and his mother put him under supervision of the foundry owner to teach metalworking.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.