Slavery dates back at least as far as Babylonian times, but the degree of cruelty of the institution has varied widely through time. In the best case, in Babylon or in Athens, the slave filled the role of manservant or aide. In the worst case, the plight of the enslaved was truly terrible. In Roman times, slaves worked until they became weak or old, and then were sold to state mines where work was harder and death certain. Even more horrific, from the 16th to the 19th century, over 15 million Africans were brutally kidnapped and shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas. It was only after the Abolitionist movement and one of America's bloodiest wars that slavery was abolished.