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c. 3500 B.C.E. Mesopotamians settle into permanent communities with successful agricultural techniques. Constantly at war with neighbors, the Mesopotamians begin to capture and enslave prisoners, forcing them into labor instead of killing them.

1780 B.C.E. King Hammurabi becomes the sixth ruler of Babylon, a city in northern Mesopotamia. With Babylon as his capital, Hammurabi unites all of the competing kingdoms of Mesopotamia under one government. He establishes the Code of Hammurabi, a list of about 300 laws that regulate all aspects of Babylonian life, including slavery.

1570 B.C.E. The Egyptians drive the ruling Hyksos from Egypt and enslave all foreigners who remain, including thousands of Hebrews, who are forced to work in the fields making bricks for the construction of new cities and temples.

597 B.C.E. Nebuchadrezzar II captures the city of Jerusalem and sends most...