Final answer:
Slaves in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were often war captives or worked in the households of the elite. While cases existed where the children of slaves could rise to freedom and power, generally, the life of slaves was harsh with limited chances for such upward mobility.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the statements concerning slaves in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia, several are true based on historical records. Slaves were indeed often people defeated in war, as war captives were a common source of slaves in ancient times. Another accurate statement is that slaves could sometimes become part of the households of political elites, serving in various domestic capacities and even positions requiring a certain level of education such as accountancy and bureaucracy.
However, the prospects for slaves' children varied greatly. In some exceptional cases, they could indeed become free, wealthy, and politically powerful, especially if they were born to mothers who were domestic servants in wealthy households and whose fathers were the slave owners. This was more prominent in Roman society, where the children of slaves and slave owners were born free. Similarly, the Islamic world saw no stigma in recognizing the children of enslaved women and free owners, with the children enjoying a free status.
In contrast, the average life of a slave, especially those involved in labor-intensive jobs like agriculture or as domestic servants, was often characterized by harsh conditions with limited opportunities for freedom or upward mobility. Though there were variations across regions and eras, it was less common for the children of these slaves to achieve significant status changes. Nonetheless, in certain African societies, individuals enslaved to pay off debts could hope for freedom once the debt was satisfied.