Defining Ancient Colonists

In the study of the different forms of colonization in the Archaic and Classical periods, words also play an important role. Through language, modern scholarship seeks to define and understand the aims and characteristics of colonies and colonists, often comparing them with the colonial experiences of the modern era.

In this debate, the term epoikos occupies a marginal position: in modern scholarly literature it is used mainly to refer to supplementary or reinforcement settlers, including in reference to Archaic-period experiences in southern Italy and Sicily.

In fact, a comprehensive reconsideration of all the attestations shows that this term is used primarily in connection with settlement experiences in Greece between the late sixth and the fifth centuries BC. In my paper, I will examine a number of examples that can be specifically related to the Athenian empire, attested both in historiographical sources (Thucydides) and in epigraphic evidence. Through an analysis of the contexts, I will seek to propose an interpretation that restores to the epoikoi a distinct profile, functional to the needs of the arche.