Why did chattel slavery begin?

Answer 1

Chattel slavery began in Africa probably as a system to get maximum labor for minimum investment. By "owning" the slaves and making them a commodity, the slave owner increased their personal wealth but by enslaving other humans. In many African communities, where land could not be owned, enslavement of individuals was used as a means to increase the influence a person had and expand connections. The earliest known instances of chattel slavery were in the Nile valley and Northern Africa. but it may have been common in other areas of the continent. Most of our records of the earliest instances come from the trade records of Arab traders who trafficked in chattel slaves around the time of the Roman Empire.