Answer:
The Eastern Mediterranean had a demand for slaves because there was an emerging need for agricultural workers and soldiers.
Explanation:
- The Eastern Mediterranean being the greatest producer of grapes, dates, and figs, the number of people needed to work on the fields there went on increasing as the demand for these products went on increasing from all over the world.
- Moreover, the expansionist movements prevalent in the Eastern Mediterranean region sought more people to fight for them.
- Thus, the practice of slavery went on becoming rigid as more and more land started coming under cultivation and as the expansionist movements took pace.
