People who 'belonged' to someone else, who had few rights and were used to perform duties for the 'owner'. The existence of slaves is known from many civilizations, including ancient Egypt. There, it was a 'hereditary profession', included among possessions of kings, high-ranking officials, or temple estates, and better described as serfs (semedet or meret), allowed to own property but enjoying limited freedom by modern standards. In ancient Italy, there were great numbers of slaves by the 3rd-1st centuries BC, some used in agriculture or serving the administration and others being servants, workers, or craftsmen. It was not unusual for slaves to be freed. In some areas, although they could be sold, punished at will, and could never legally marry, they often held highly responsible posts, such as doctors, estate managers, etc.