Cyrenus Osborne Ward's study of the working people of antiquity provides a valuable perspective on the social and economic conditions of the pre-modern world. Ward examines the lives of laborers, artisans, farmers, and slaves in ancient civilizations from Mesopotamia to Greece and Rome, drawing on a range of primary sources to reconstruct their daily routines, living arrangements, and struggles for survival. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.