Perioces

Periöken (also Perioiken ; from ancient Greek περίοικοι períoikoi , German 'living around, neighbors' ) were members of ancient Greek city-states, especially in the state of the Lacedaemonians (Sparta) .

The Periöken inhabited cities in the mountainous and coastal areas of Laconia (Skiritis, Belminatis, Thyrea), on the island of Kythera and on the southern tip of Messenia . These had once been subjugated by the Spartians , but retained autonomy in the administration of their cities. There was no marriage union between the Spartians and the Periocs.

Foreign policy decisions, especially about war and peace, were made by the Spartians. The Periöks were not involved, but Sparta had to do military service.

Economic and social situation

The Periöks were together with the Spartians in the heavily armed civil army. Despite the obligation to serve in the army, they did not have to provide the actual number, but only a part of the available men. Tried and tested perioik hoplites were given the title of kalos kagathos . This also included fulfilling certain prerequisites for being accepted into the contingent of heavily armed men, such as honesty and manly efficiency as well as the economic strength to provide for one's own equipment and supplies on the campaign. Perioiken could also occupy middle command posts in the army . The perioiks of the northern landscape of Skiritis formed a separate unit of the army with specific tasks in the field of reconnaissance and security.

The position of the Periöks in the Lacedaemonian army should not be underestimated. Without them, Sparta would not have achieved such great success, as the number of Spartians steadily declined. Furthermore, together with the Spartians, they formed a unit against the unfree Helots . Since the Perioks lived around Sparta, they also protected the city from external attacks and influences.

Much of the Periöken were farmers, but they were also engaged in fishing, shipbuilding, metal production, handicrafts and trade. Within the Lacedaemonian state they had a monopoly on handicrafts and trade, since Spartians and Helots were limited to agriculture. All foreign goods passed through Perioikian territory before reaching Sparta . Its main port cities were Gytheion and Kythera .

origin

About the origin of the Periocs it was assumed that the Periocs belonged to the around 1000 BC. Were displaced by the pre-Dorian population who defended themselves so successfully that they escaped slavery through a treaty. However, the fact that the Periocs spoke the Doric dialect speaks against this.

Another thesis was that the Periöks were Dorians , but did not have the same rights as the Spartians because they did not live directly in Sparta and were therefore not always available for political tasks and military missions. Against it speaks that the owners of Messenian landless people could be full citizens. Laconic landless owners could just as easily have settled down in Sparta far from their landless land as this one.

See also

• Helots

literature

• Andrey Eremin: Settlements of Spartan perioikoi. Poleis or komai? In: Anton Powell, Stephan Hodkinson (eds.): Sparta. Beyond the Mirage. Classical Press of Wales et al., London et al. 2002, ISBN 0-7156-3183-7 , pp. 267-283.
• Jonathan M. Hall: Sparta, Lakedaimon and the Nature of Perioikic Dependency. In: Pernille Flensted-Jensen (Ed.): Further Studies in the Ancient Greek “Polis” (= Historia . Individual writings. Vol. 138 = Papers from the Copenhagen Polis Center. Vol. 5). Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-515-07607-7 , pp. 73-89.
• Detlef Lotze : Second Class Citizens: Sparta's Periöken. Your position and function in the Lacedaemonian state. In: Detlef Lotze: Citizens and unfree in pre-Hellenistic Greece. Selected articles ( Classical Studies Colloquium. Vol. 2). Edited by Walter Ameling and Klaus Zimmermann . Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-515-07673-5 , pp. 171-183.
• Lukas Thommen : Sparta. Constitutional and social history of a Greek polis. Metzler, Stuttgart et al. 2003, ISBN 3-476-01964-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Wilhelm Pape , Max Sengebusch (arrangement): Concise dictionary of the Greek language . 3rd edition, 6th impression. Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig 1914 ( zeno.org [accessed on May 14, 2019]).