So widespread was slavery in the Mediterranean and the Arabic world than even today regular greetings reference human trafficking. All over Italy, when they meet, people say to each other, 'schiavo', from a Venetian dialect. 'Ciao', as it is more commonly spelt, does not mean 'hello'; it means 'I am your slave'
P. Frankopan, The Silk Roads (2015), 122
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