Since to origin of man, individuals have continually been enslaved for the benefit of another. Although culture and custom can often alter a word's definition, even in primitive periods slaves were considered the most undignified social institution, existing merely as property, bound to its owner through involuntary servitude. Since slaves have invariably been legally regarded as objects, they were commonly bought, sold, given as a gift, or warranted as payment for debt. This exchange of slaves ensured and fueled slavery's prosperity and existence.
             In practice, slavery has subsisted since prehistoric ages. However, it was probably first regulated and distinctly established in ancient periods, when agricultural advances promoted the desire for facilitated manual labor and the conceived necessity for slavery. Multiple ancient civilizations began slavery as an accepted, often vital aspect to their economy and society. Slaves were often obtained as prisoners of war through raids, issued to owners as compensation for debt payment, or were enslaved as penalization for an infraction. The children born to a slave were also commonly bound to an unwritten social contract, and deemed a slave.
             Ancient Mesopotamian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations exercised slaves either domestically, in shops, or in groups for large-scale construction or agricultural projects. The ancient Egyptians used slaves, called hem, to build the royal palaces and monuments. These slaves frequently sold themselves into enslavement to avoid debt for poverty. For example, slavery is biblically cited, as Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to escape destitution, in approximately 1650 B.C. However, debt slavery was abolished in Egypt in the Late Dynastic Period. Despite this fact, there was an increase of captives during the New Kingdom, when pharaohs became actively involved in Nubia, Canaan, and Syria, bringing many prisoners of war,...