METOECUS
METOECUS (
μέτοικος), a resident
foreigner, a permanent settler in an alien state. Resident aliens were
common in nearly all Greek cities, especially centres of commerce, the sole
known exceptions being Sparta, whose
ξενηλασίαι were notorious (
Thuc.
1.144,
2.39;
Xen. Resp. Lac. 14.4),
and possibly Apollonia (Ael.
Var. Hist. 13.16). A list of
thirty-one towns which are known to have harboured
μέτοικοι is given by Schenkl (
Wiener Studien,
1880, ii. p. 163 f.), the authorities being chiefly inscriptional. The name
appears with the variants
πάροικοι,
πεδάνοικοι (Argos,
C. I. G. 14, 19), and
ἔνοικοι.
The
μέτοικοι
at Athens.
1.
Institution of the class.--Mention of resident foreigners
at Athens is made by Plutarch,
Plut. Sol. 24
(
γενέσθαι πολίταις οὐ δίδωσι [Σόλων] πλὴν
τοῖς...πανεστίοις Ἀθήναζε μετοικιζομένοις ἐπὶ
τέχνῃ). Yet this can hardly be taken to imply that all craftsmen
who migrated to Athens in Solon's time received citizen rights, nor do we
find in the fragments of Solon's laws any mention of a class intermediate
between the
πολι-ται and
ξένοι, between whom a sharp line appears to have
been drawn. It seems more probable that Cleisthenes first created the
ordo. A very possible interpretation of the
well-known passage Arist.
Pol. iii. p. 1275
(
πολλοὺς γὰρ ἐφυλέτευσε [Κλεισθένης] ξένους
καὶ δούλους μετοίκους) is to take
μετοίκους in a non-technical sense, either with both
substantives or with the latter only (see however
DEMUS Vol. I. p. 616
b). Now the most ancient inscription in which the word occurs as
the designation of an
ordo is in
C. I.
A. 1.2, the date of which is not much after Cleisthenes. A large
admission to citizenship, such as Cleisthenes had carried, would necessitate
the definite regulation of what constituted non-citizenship, in the case of
those who did not now become enfranchised, and of new arrivals at Athens.
Hence the “order”
μέτοικοι, intermediate between the fully
enfranchised
πολῖται and the
non-enfranchised
ξένοι.
2.
Numbers.--
Thuc. 2.13, after
mentioning 13,000 as the full hoplite citizen force, gives 16,000 as the
number of those who manned the battlements, consisting of
πρεσβύτατοι καὶ νεώτατοι καὶ μέτοικοι. In
2.31 he distinctly tells us that the full metoec hoplite force amounted to
3,000. Thus the whole number of
πολῖται
liable to military service between the ages of 18
[p. 2.169]and 60 (taking the
πρεσβύτατοι as from 50
to 60, and the
νεώτατοι as from 18 to 20)
was, at that time, 13,000+(16,000-3000), i. e. 26,000. This would give,
taking 1: 4 1/2 as the proportion of grown males to the rest of the citizen
body, nearly 120,000. It would be rash to infer from this the number of the
μέτοικοι as a whole, for we do not know
that the hoplite status was the same for
μέτοικοι as for
πολῖται: and as
they, as a rule, only manned the walls, they must have been less exposed to
loss. The number of
μέτοικοι is obscured by
the fact that special draftings of
μέτοικοι
into the ranks of
πολῖται are known to have
taken place, when the numbers of
πολῖται
had been thinned by a serious disaster. Such cases are related by Diodorus
Siculus, 13.97 (later years of Peloponnesian war), and the
pseudo-Plutarchian author of the life of Hyperides, p. 9 (after Chaeronea,
B.C. 338, at which 1000
πολῖται fell).
There is distinct testimony that in the time of Demetrius of Phalerum there
were 21,000
πολῖται, 10,000
πέτοικοι, and 400,000
δοῦλοι in Attica (Athen.
Deipn. 6.272 b).
Some regard these numbers in the case of
πολῖται and
μέτοικοι as
referring only to able-bodied men. The
μέτοικοι consisted of Lydians, Phrygians, Syrians, and other
barbarians (
Xen. Vect. 2.3),
Syracusans, e. g. Lysias the speech-writer, Corinthians, e. g. Deinarchus,
the orator.
3.
Position.--Any stranger not a slave who
remained more than a certain time at Athens was compelled to register
himself as
μέτοικος. During the days of
grace he was termed
παρεπίδημος (
μέτοικός ἐστιν, ὁπόταν τις ἀπὸ ξένης ἐλθὼν
ἐνοικῇ τῇ πόλει, τέλος τελῶν εἰς ἀποτεταγμένας τινὰς χρείας
τῆς πόλεως : ἕως μ̀ν οὖν ποσῶν ἡμερῶν παρεπίδημος καλεῖται
καὶ ἀτελής ἐστιν, ἐὰν δὲ ὑπερβῇ τὸν ὡρισμένον χρόνον,
μέτοικος ἤδη γένεται καὶ ὑποτελής. Aristoph. Byz.
in Herodian. Epimer. ed. Boisson. p. 287). The civic
disabilities of
μέτοικοι were almost
proverbial. Xenophon speaks of the Corinthians after their fusion with Argos
as
ἐν τῇ πόλει μετοίκεν ἔλαττον
δυνάμενοι (
Hell. 4.4, 6). Demosthenes
(
Callip. p. 1243.29) expresses the same idea by the
phrase
μέτοικος καὶ οὐδὲν δυνάμενος.
Aristotle (
Pol. iii. p. 1275 a) defines the
μέτοικος as
ὁ
τῶν τιμῶν μὴ μετέχων. These
τιμαὶ were (
a)
ἀρχαί, i. e. the right of serving as magistrate
and dicast, and of voting in elections. (
b）
ἐπιγαμία, marriage with
πολῖται. (
c)
γῆς καὶ οἰκίας ἔγκτησις, acquisition of
land or house property. (
d)
ἱερωσύνη, right of performing public sacrifice.
Each
μέτοικος was obliged to enrol himself
(
ἀπογράφεσθαι, ἐπιγράφεσθαι) under a
patron (
προστάτης). This custom was no
doubt originally due to the fact that in the eye of Greek law and religion
the stranger was of the same status as a woman or a minor. Thus the
προστάτης was at once a security for the good
behaviour of the
μέτοικος, and his
representative to the
δῆμος. (See
Aristoph. Peace 683; Harpocrat. s. v.
προστάτης; Suidas, s. v.
νέμειν προστάτην.) A
μέτοικος who failed to register himself under a
προστάτης incurred
ἀπροστασίου δίκη: one who deserted his
προστάτης incurred
ἀποστασίου δίκη (Bekk.
Anecd. p. 435; Dem.
Lacr. p. 940.61, 48). The character of the
μέτοικος might be inferred from that of his
προστάτης (Isocr.
de
Pace, § 53). Yet it seems that a
μέτοικος could plead a case in person. The
speech of Demosthenes against Eubulides is spoken by a man presumed to be a
μέτοικος, and no mention is made of a
προστάτης in Lysias v. and xxiii., both
of which speeches are made on behalf of
μέτοικοι.
His civic disabilities left the
μέτοικος
free to engage in pursuits for which the ordinary citizen had little
leisure. He was devoted to trade and could undertake long journeys on
business. Hence
μέτοικοι were distinctly
valuable to the state and were encouraged to settle there. (See
Aristoph. Lys. 579; Isocr.
de Pace, § 21; [Lys.]
Andoc.
§ 49;
Xen. Vect. 4.4.
0; Grote,
Greece, Part II. ch. xi. p. 336, large ed.)
Their close connexion with the
πολῖται is
compared by Aristophanes to the relation of bran to flour, while
ξένοι are but the chaff, which is winnowed away
(
Ach. 508). Their wealth often made them an object of
envy and oppression, especially in matters of taxation (Dem.
Androt. p. 609.66;
Timocr. 166). A special
instance of this is seen in their treatment under the Thirty (
Xen. Hell. 2.3,
30;
Lys. 12.6).
Each
μέτοικος paid an annual tax (
μετοίκιον) of twelve drachmae, widows paying six
drachmae, mothers whose sins paid already being exempt (Harpocr. s. v.
μετοίκιον). This tax, like all others
at Athens, was farmed out ([Dem.]
Aristog. i. p. 787.68;
Harpocr. s. v.
πωληταί).
4.
Duties.--Of the public
λειτουργίαι the
χορηγία alone
is certainly known to have been open to
μέτοικοι. (See Dem.
Lept. pp. 462.18, 476.70;
Lys. 12.20;
C. I. A. 2.86.)
Μέτοικοι were liable to
εἰσφοραί, which they paid on a rating of one-sixth of their
property, a rating high in comparison to the
πολῖται (Dem.
Androt. p. 612.75). For this
purpose they were formed into
μετοκικαὶ
συμμορίαι (Hyperid. ap. Poll. 8.144; see also Boeckh,
Staatshaus. ed. 3, vol. i. p. 624 ff.). With regard to
military service, Pericles (
Thuc. 2.13) appears
to speak of the
μέτοικοι as only manning
the walls. Yet they seem to have taken part in some distant expeditions,
both as hoplites and oarsmen, e. g. to Megara (
Thuc.
2.31), coasts of Peloponnesus (id. 3.16), Boeotia (id. 4.90). See
also
Thuc. 1.143, Dem.
Phil. A.
36, from which it would seem that the employment of the
μέτοικοι was usually regarded as a last
resource. They were not allowed to serve as
ἱππεῖς in any case (
Xen.
Vect. 2.5; Hipparch. 9.6).
The difference between
μέτοικοι and
πολῖται is naturally most marked in religious
matters. Yet, as being an integral part of the state, they had a claim to
some share in the state's religion. They took part in the Panathenaea,
ἵνα ὡς εὐ_νοι ἀριθμῶνται μετέχοντες τῶν
θυσιῶν, the men (
σκαφηφόροι）
carrying skiff-shaped bowls, the matrons (
ὑδριαφόροι) pitchers, the maidens (
σκιαδηφόροι) parasols (
Hesych. sub
voce
σκάφαι: Ael.
Var. Hist. 6.1;
Poll. 3.55; Harpocr. s. v.
μετοίκιον;
Bekker,
Anecd. pp. 214, 242). Others, however, think that the
males alone took part in this
σκαφηφορία,
and that the
σκιαδηφορία, ὑδριαφορία, and
διφροφορία were quite distinct
ceremonies.
5.
Special privileges.--Individual
μέτοικοι, as a reward for distinguished state services,
might receive by vote of the
ἐκκλησία
special privileges,
[p. 2.170]such as
προξενία (Dem.
Lept. p. 475.68;
C. I.
A. 2.91),
ἀτέλεια (
C.
I. A. 2.27, 42, 91; Dem.
Il. citt.),
ἔγκτησις γῆς καὶ οἰκίας (
C. I.
A. 2.41, 70, 186, 380)
πρόσοδος πρὸς τὴν
βουλὴν καὶ τὸν δῆμον (
C. I. A. 2.41, 91). A
special class of
μέτοικοι were termed
ἰσοτελεῖς. These had no
προστάτης, paid no
μετοίκιον, enjoyed (this is disputed)
ἔγκτησις γῆς καὶ οἰκίας, and were, as far as payment of
taxes and service as hoplites were concerned, on an equality with
πολῖται. They were excluded from office,
ἐκκλησία, and
δικαστήριον (Poll. 3.56; Harpocr. s. v.
ἰσοτελεῖς:
C. I. A. 2.54, 176).
Actions at law in which
μέτοικοι were
concerned, either as plaintiff or defendant, were heard before the
ἄρχων πολέμαρχος δίκαι δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν λαγχάνονται
μετοίκων ἰσοτελῶν προξένων (Poll. 8.91). While liable
διδόναι δίκην in all cases to which
πολῖται were subject, they were only
able
λαμβάνελν δίκην in actions arising
out of matters in which
μέτοικοι were
specially concerned. Thus a
μέτοικος could
indict a
πολίτης for non-fulfilment of
contract, but not for
ἀσέβεια. See
Aristotle in Harpocr. s. v.
πολέμαρχος:
Dem.
Lacr. 48; Isocr.
Trapez. (where Pasion
the banker institutes a
δίκη βλάβης before
the polemarch against a nameless
μέτοικος);
Lys. 23.2, 3. [
A.H.C]
(Appendix). Ath. Pol. 58
confirms the statements (p. 170
a) as to their
actions at law before the polemarch.
