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Document Details : Title: Persian Katoikoi in Hellenistic Smyrna Author(s): FINGERSON, Kyle R. Journal: Ancient Society Volume: 37 Date: 2007 Pages: 107-120 DOI: 10.2143/AS.37.0.2024034 Abstract : The ancient Greeks and Macedonians closely guarded their rights and obligations as citizens. Throughout most of their history they excluded non-Greeks or ‘barbarians’ from participating in Hellenic civic organizations. After the campaigns of Alexander, as Greco-Macedonian culture spread eastwards, we begin to see exceptions made to Hellenic civic segregation and some non-Hellenic people were conferred with civic rights in exchange for military service. During the Third Syrian War (246-241 BC), the city of Smyrna, a loyal ally of Seleucus II, arranged a treaty with its neighbor Magnesia near Mt. Sipylus. One of the conditions of the treaty was the promise of equal rights and obligations to the Greek and Persian soldiers in Magnesia as citizens of Smyrna. Beginning with the text of the inscription I. Smyrna 573 the author confirms that the Persians of the garrison in Magnesia were conferred with the same civic rights and obligations as their Hellenic counterparts. The author then proceeds to investigate the primary and secondary literature and sources to determine that the Seleucids encountered a shortage of soldiers beginning in the 3rd century and that Persians and other non-Greeks were occasionally given civic rights to meet these recruitment needs. The author’s evidence strongly suggests that Alexander and the Seleucids adopted the Achaemenid precedent of using ‘foreign’ troops to supplement their military colonies in Asia Minor. The conferment of equal civic rights and obligations to Persian κάτοικοι or military colonists insured their loyalty to Seleucus II and helped him maintain his military requirements. |
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