Forced Labourers and Antiskari

"A widowed mother stood baking rusks for her son

And as she baked she wept and lamented

And with her sighs of grief the oven grew hot

'Son, what if you go to distant lands and places far away

For they'll put you to the oar...' "

One of the most onerous obligations faced by peasants was conscription as galiotti - oarsmen and deck hands on Venetian warships. Terrible living and working conditions combined with the dangers of the sea and war made this service particularly perilous and terrifying. Those liable for service often paid exorbitant sums to others, known as anstiskari, to do galley labour in their place.