I’ve read a bit about the transition to serfdom post-Rome and this is generally correct, and is certainly the correct way to think about it.

There are some additional concerns when it comes to large scale slave society like Rome was, among other things includes stuff like geographic and technological limitations (roads, ocean, ships, animal and human muscle power), biological limitations (slaves die under horrific conditions). Basically a web of things that long term suggest an expanding slave society (or slavery itself) is unsustainable, and that the transition to serfdom is based in the eventual material need of the ruling class to transform labor from slaves to serfs as slave influx becomes less, and thus they become more expensive.

Then there are things like debt that polarize economies and change human relations, and steer economic policy to serfdom as well. Geography can influence the policy towards emerging peasantry, too - like if there is too much free land then you’d want your peasants to bound to your land. And the opposite: if there isn’t free land then your peasants can have more rights and mobility.

Just thought I’d add these additional concerns to a really good post.

Do you have anything to read about Chinese “feudalism” or whatever Marx called the Asiatic MOP? It’s so hard to find anything and I basically know nothing at all about what is going on at that point in time/space. My hunch is that geography is really really important.