DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0063
1>F THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF ATHENS.
41
thy, by recalling the freedom which had been granted through the igno-
rance and inconsideration of the multitude ; and this disgrace befel Py-
tholaus the Thessalian, and Apollonides the Olynthian (1) It was fur-
ther provided by Solon, that none should live at Athens as free citizens,
except such as were banished from their own country, or voluntarily
came to reside at Athens *with their whole families; whereby he, no
doubts intended to prevent all such from enjoying the privileges of Athens,
who had greater alliances and interests in other places (2).
The manner of admission was, by declaring that such an one was incor-
porated among the denizens of Athens, and invested with all the honours,
privileges, and immunities belonging to them ; and had a right to partake
of, and assist at the performance of all their holy rites and mysteries,
except such as were appropriated to certain noble families : such as were
the Eumolpidas, Ceryces, Cynidae, who had certain priesthoods, and holy
offices peculiar to themselves : or (as others are of opinion) they were
excluded from all the offices of priesthood of whatever denomination;
which is the most probable, because the free-born Athenians were them-
selves excluded from those offices which were appropriated to the sa-
cred families. Except also the offices of the nine archons, which none
but free-born Athenians were allowed to execute ; that neither the reli-
gion nor the management of public affairs might be intrusted in foreign
hands. Yet this extended not to the children of citizens thus adopted,
who were allowed all the privileges of natives. Lastly, they were
admitted into a certain tribe and hundred, and so the ceremony end-
ed (3).
Free-born Athenians were those that had both or one of their parents
an Athenian. Aristotle tells us, that in several commonwealths, at the
first, those were accounted free that were born of a free woman ; but
when the number of inhabitants increased, such only were esteemed free
as were descended from parents that were both free (4). And so it
came to pass in Athens, where it was decreed by Solon, that none begot-
ten out of lawful marriage, which could then be celebrated only between
free citizens, should have right to inherit their father's estate. This ap-
pears from the following words of Aristophanes :
Epoi <Ts <Ti) koli tov SoXcevic a-if VifAOV
No8a> i'i (Jtii ihn.1 dyyjs-'iiAv (5).
But this law was afterwards abrogated by the tacit consent of the com-
monwealth, till the time of Pericles, who, when he flourished in the
state, and had sons lawfully begotten, proposed a law, that those only
should be reputed true citizens of Athens, who were born of parents
that were both Athenians ; and having prevailed with the people to give
their consent to it, less than five thousand were deprived of their freedom,
and sold for slaves ; and those who, enduring the test, remained in the
government, and past muster for true-born Athenians, were found in the
poll to be fourteen thousand and forty persons in number. But Pericles
himself afterwards, having lost all his legitimate sons, so far persuaded
the Athenians, that they cancelled the law, and granted that he should
enrol his bastard sons in the register of his own ward, by his pa-
ternal name, thinking that, by those losses, he had been sufficiently
(l) Demosth. Orat. in Neajram. (4) Aristotel. Polit. lib. iii. cap. 5.
(B) Plut. Sol (3) Demosth, Orat, in Neaeram. (5) Avibus, p. 602, edit, Amstelod,
6
41
thy, by recalling the freedom which had been granted through the igno-
rance and inconsideration of the multitude ; and this disgrace befel Py-
tholaus the Thessalian, and Apollonides the Olynthian (1) It was fur-
ther provided by Solon, that none should live at Athens as free citizens,
except such as were banished from their own country, or voluntarily
came to reside at Athens *with their whole families; whereby he, no
doubts intended to prevent all such from enjoying the privileges of Athens,
who had greater alliances and interests in other places (2).
The manner of admission was, by declaring that such an one was incor-
porated among the denizens of Athens, and invested with all the honours,
privileges, and immunities belonging to them ; and had a right to partake
of, and assist at the performance of all their holy rites and mysteries,
except such as were appropriated to certain noble families : such as were
the Eumolpidas, Ceryces, Cynidae, who had certain priesthoods, and holy
offices peculiar to themselves : or (as others are of opinion) they were
excluded from all the offices of priesthood of whatever denomination;
which is the most probable, because the free-born Athenians were them-
selves excluded from those offices which were appropriated to the sa-
cred families. Except also the offices of the nine archons, which none
but free-born Athenians were allowed to execute ; that neither the reli-
gion nor the management of public affairs might be intrusted in foreign
hands. Yet this extended not to the children of citizens thus adopted,
who were allowed all the privileges of natives. Lastly, they were
admitted into a certain tribe and hundred, and so the ceremony end-
ed (3).
Free-born Athenians were those that had both or one of their parents
an Athenian. Aristotle tells us, that in several commonwealths, at the
first, those were accounted free that were born of a free woman ; but
when the number of inhabitants increased, such only were esteemed free
as were descended from parents that were both free (4). And so it
came to pass in Athens, where it was decreed by Solon, that none begot-
ten out of lawful marriage, which could then be celebrated only between
free citizens, should have right to inherit their father's estate. This ap-
pears from the following words of Aristophanes :
Epoi <Ts <Ti) koli tov SoXcevic a-if VifAOV
No8a> i'i (Jtii ihn.1 dyyjs-'iiAv (5).
But this law was afterwards abrogated by the tacit consent of the com-
monwealth, till the time of Pericles, who, when he flourished in the
state, and had sons lawfully begotten, proposed a law, that those only
should be reputed true citizens of Athens, who were born of parents
that were both Athenians ; and having prevailed with the people to give
their consent to it, less than five thousand were deprived of their freedom,
and sold for slaves ; and those who, enduring the test, remained in the
government, and past muster for true-born Athenians, were found in the
poll to be fourteen thousand and forty persons in number. But Pericles
himself afterwards, having lost all his legitimate sons, so far persuaded
the Athenians, that they cancelled the law, and granted that he should
enrol his bastard sons in the register of his own ward, by his pa-
ternal name, thinking that, by those losses, he had been sufficiently
(l) Demosth. Orat. in Neajram. (4) Aristotel. Polit. lib. iii. cap. 5.
(B) Plut. Sol (3) Demosth, Orat, in Neaeram. (5) Avibus, p. 602, edit, Amstelod,
6