Slaves were mostly prisoners of war. All prisoners, including civilians who are not part of the military, become a royal resource. The pharaoh then resettled the captives by transferring them to labor colonies, giving them to temples, giving them as rewards to deserving individuals, and giving them to his soldiers as spoils. Some itinerant slaves began as free persons who were found guilty of wrongful acts and forced to abandon their freedom. Other slaves were born into life from a bonded mother.
