Symposium papers: slavery

At the symposium I have heard the following papers.  I will give a short summary

“The Trade in Young Mamluks via the Bosphorus and the Role of the Byzantine Empire during the Early Palaeologian Dynasty”
The Byzantines were quite involved in early slave trade, supplying Muslims with slave boys and girls from the Black Sea area. 

“Ottoman Slavery, 15th – 19th Centuries”
The Turks treated slaves in a more open manner than closed with some slaves being able to own slaves themselves.  I later found this historian in the halls and asked him a question about race and slavery in the Ottoman Empire.  I'll address his answer in another post.

“Byzantine Slaves in the Ottoman Empire”
This historian uses saint narratives as historical documents to discuss the religious nature of slavery in the Ottoman Empire.  He told stories about saints who were Ottoman slaves and what their stories say about the institution of slavery. 

“Captives or Slaves? The International Aspect of Byzantine Slavery”
This was an economic discussion based on the differing pricing of slaves sold for labor and those who were captured by pirates for ransom.  The pricing was very similar, about 20-30 small gold coins in each case.  I also asked this historian a question later about whether there would be a "friction cost" based on the expenses of negotiating ransom agreements.  He said that in medieval times there were professional hostage negotiators who would do the services for a fee.