Since ancient times, the long shadow of slavery has loomed over world history. Even today, an estimated 40 million people live in modern slavery. In this volume, Andreas Eckert traces the history of an institution that has manifested in various forms across all regions of the world and throughout all times. It played a central role, especially in Africa and the Atlantic world. Eckert's knowledgeable account also explores what motivated slave traders and owners to create and maintain such cruel conditions, what strategies the enslaved were able to employ to fight for their freedom, and how an accepted evil could become a universally condemned atrocity.