奴隶解放 是指奴隶主自愿将奴隶释放以使其自由的行为。

奴隶解放是奴隶制度里面经常有的一个元素，甚至可能任何奴隶制度都有，而不是对奴隶制度的一种拒绝。

希腊的奴隶在被解放后一般都会成为外人。他们成为外国居民，但却不能成为他们居住地的公民，因此他们获得的自由并不是完全的自由。

Manumission, from manumit /ˌmænjəˈmɪt/, is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves. Different approaches developed, each specific to the time and place of a society's slave system.

The motivations of slave owners in manumitting slaves were complex and varied. Firstly, manumission may present itself as a sentimental and benevolent gesture. One typical scenario was the freeing in the master's will of a devoted servant after long years of service. A trusted bailiff might be manumitted as a gesture of gratitude; for those working as agricultural laborers or in workshops, there was little likelihood of being so noticed.