An Overview on the Legal Status of Metics in Athens:  Lysias’ Speech Against Eratosthenes and its Translation

Esra Yalazı; Sultan Deniz Küçüker

Makale detayları

An Overview on the Legal Status of Metics in Athens: Lysias’ Speech Against Eratosthenes and its Translation

Yazarlar:

Esra Yalazı | Sultan Deniz Küçüker

Yayıncı:

Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar:

Eski Yunan ve Roma Tarihi

Dergi:

Archivum Anatolicum-Anadolu Arşivleri Vol.18 Issue 1, pp.239-268

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001320773

pISSN:

1300-6355

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Classical Athens, being a community of citizens in terms of politics and the law, had a diversified social structure with a vast number of immigrants it absorbed to support its cultural and economic life. During the historical period of conflicts between democracy and oligarchy in Athens, these immigrantswho were not politically activetook a stand on the side of the democratic political order with the citizens who supported the states survival, to secure their own existence as well as the continuation of the system. Lysias the Orator, an immigrant himself, was one of the most significant witnesses of the two major oligarchic revolutions that occurred in Athens between 411 and 404 BC. He was arrested by the oligarchic rule of the Thirty Tyrants in 404 BC, all his property was confiscated, and his brother Polemarchus was killed by Eratosthenes, one of the Thirty Tyrants. After the restoration of democracy in 403, during the trial of Eratosthenes, Lysias delivered the speech Against Eratosthenes in order to accuse and condemn him of killing Polemarchus. In his speech, Lysias expanded his accusation by placing it on a political level, and by this way he produced not only a valuable document on this most depressive period of Athenian history but also demonstrated in plain language that migration and citizenship issues are open to debate in every historical period.

 Classical Athens, being a community of citizens in terms of politics and the law, had a diversified social structure with a vast number of immigrants it absorbed to support its cultural and economic life. During the historical period of conflicts between democracy and oligarchy in Athens, these immigrantswho were not politically activetook a stand on the side of the democratic political order with the citizens who supported the states survival, to secure their own existence as well as the continuation of the system. Lysias the Orator, an immigrant himself, was one of the most significant witnesses of the two major oligarchic revolutions that occurred in Athens between 411 and 404 BC. He was arrested by the oligarchic rule of the Thirty Tyrants in 404 BC, all his property was confiscated, and his brother Polemarchus was killed by Eratosthenes, one of the Thirty Tyrants. After the restoration of democracy in 403, during the trial of Eratosthenes, Lysias delivered the speech Against Eratosthenes in order to accuse and condemn him of killing Polemarchus. In his speech, Lysias expanded his accusation by placing it on a political level, and by this way he produced not only a valuable document on this most depressive period of Athenian history but also demonstrated in plain language that migration and citizenship issues are open to debate in every historical period.

 Classical Athens, being a community of citizens in terms of politics and the law, had a diversified social structure with a vast number of immigrants it absorbed to support its cultural and economic life. During the historical period of conflicts between democracy and oligarchy in Athens, these immigrantswho were not politically activetook a stand on the side of the democratic political order with the citizens who supported the states survival, to secure their own existence as well as the continuation of the system. Lysias the Orator, an immigrant himself, was one of the most significant witnesses of the two major oligarchic revolutions that occurred in Athens between 411 and 404 BC. He was arrested by the oligarchic rule of the Thirty Tyrants in 404 BC, all his property was confiscated, and his brother Polemarchus was killed by Eratosthenes, one of the Thirty Tyrants. After the restoration of democracy in 403, during the trial of Eratosthenes, Lysias delivered the speech Against Eratosthenes in order to accuse and condemn him of killing Polemarchus. In his speech, Lysias expanded his accusation by placing it on a political level, and by this way he produced not only a valuable document on this most depressive period of Athenian history but also demonstrated in plain language that migration and citizenship issues are open to debate in every historical period.

 Klasik Çağda Atina, siyasi ve hukuki varlığı bakımından bir yurttaşlar topluluğu olsa da kültürel ve ekonomik varlığını güçlendirmek için bünyesine kattığı büyük orandaki göçmen metoikos nüfusu ile çeşitlilik arz eden bir sosyolojik yapıya sahipti. Politik açıdan aktif olmayan bu göçmenler, Atinada demokrasi ve oligarşi gerilimlerinin yaşandığı, kimi yurttaşların devletin varlığına adeta kastettiği tarihi dönem içinde, varlıklarının ve aslında sistemin de devamlılığının sağlanması açısından demokrasi siyasal düzeni tarafında duruş sergilemiş ve bizzat, devletin bekasından taraf olan diğer yurttaşlar ile birlikte direnişçiler arasında saf tutmuşlardı. MÖ 411 ile MÖ 404 tarihlerinde gerçekleşmiş olan iki büyük oligarşik devrim hareketinin en önemli tanıklarından biri, kendisi de Atinada göçmen bir aileye mensup olan Hatip Lysias olmuştu. Lysias MÖ 404 yılında aralarında Eratosthenesin de bulunduğu Otuzlar Hükümeti üyeleri tarafından tutuklanmış, tüm mallarına el konulmuş ve erkek kardeşi Polemarkhos bu süreçte Eratosthenes tarafından öldürülmüştü. Demokrasinin tekrar kurulmasının ardından MÖ 4032 yargılanmasına başlanan Eratosthenesin davasına müdahil olan Lysias, Eratosthenese Karşı adlı söylevi ile sanığın, kardeşi Polemarkhosun ölümünden sorumlu olduğunu kanıtlama ve onu bu işten mahkûm etme amacındadır. Bunu yaparken suçlamasını siyasal düzleme oturtarak genişleten hatip, hem Atina tarihinin bu en bunalımlı dönemi üzerine bir belge oluşturmuş hem de Atinadaki sistem üzerinden göçmenlik ve yurttaşlık üzerine tespit ettiği fikirlerle konunun her devirde tartışmaya açık olduğunu yalın bir dille ortaya koymuştur.

Makale detayları

An Overview on the Legal Status of Metics in Athens: Lysias’ Speech Against Eratosthenes and its Translation

Yazarlar:

Esra Yalazı | Sultan Deniz Küçüker

Yayıncı:

Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar:

Eski Yunan ve Roma Tarihi

Dergi:

Archivum Anatolicum-Anadolu Arşivleri Vol.18 Issue 1, pp.239-268

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001320773

pISSN:

1300-6355

Lysias

Oligarchy

Thirty tyrants

Citizen

MeticLysias

Oligarşi

Otuzlar

Yurttaş

Göçmen

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Esra Yalazı | Sultan Deniz Küçüker

Yayıncı: Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar: Eski Yunan ve Roma Tarihi

Dergi: Archivum Anatolicum-Anadolu Arşivleri Vol.18 Issue 1, pp.239-268

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001320773

pISSN: 1300-6355

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Esra Yalazı | Sultan Deniz Küçüker

Yayıncı:

Ankara University

Ana Başlıklar:

Eski Yunan ve Roma Tarihi

Dergi:

Archivum Anatolicum-Anadolu Arşivleri Vol.18 Issue 1, pp.239-268

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001320773

pISSN:

1300-6355