1. Institutions of the Polis
CLAS
Institutions of the Polis

2. Evidence Primarily in the form of inscriptions
Permanent record in stone
More direct evidence than literary texts, that are passed down to us through copying
Evidence

3. Difficult to Read Usually fragmentary stones
Sometimes the characters are hard to make out

4. Copying Inscriptions
Standard technique is to make a 'squeeze' or reverse copy with paper
ml shows how

5. Conventions for Indicating the State of the Text
] and [ to encompass material that is lost
]of Hestia
[about 9 letters missing]
[?????]

6. Lost Stones

7. In Your Texts
Italicized sections indicate foreign words given in their original form
These are usually important words
Often have to deal with missing material
This is the fun of ancient history

8. C38: Legislation at Chios
In later context:
Boule = council
Rhetra (pl. rhetrai) = decisions of a council
demos = the gathered people
demarchos = leader of the demos

9. C37: Legislation at Dreros
What institutions are taken for granted?
What cultural practices are already in place?
What is being established?
Why?

10. The 'Spensithios Decree': C39
What is being decided here?
What is innovative?
What is old-fashioned (cp. C37 Dreros Decree)?

11. Next Class
Greek Tyranny C21-35