| abstract | „It was we, men of Athens, who made Charidemos a citizen, and by that gift
bestowed upon him a share in our hiera kai hosia, in our legal traditions, and in
everything in which we ourselves participate.“ With these words, Demosthenes
summarised what it meant to be a citizen of Athens. „A share in the hiera and
hosia“ was no wording of his own, but a stock phrase, used frequently in discourse
about citizenship. Being an Athenaios or Athenaia, a citizen of Athens, entitled one
to participation in the hiera and hosia of the city. And one could only be a citizen
if born in an Athenian oikos, unless one was literally naturalised – changed to the
condition as if one was born an Athenian and thus made a citizen (dêmopoiêtos).
Considering that birth from two Athenian parents was the normal prerequisite for
citizenship, it should come as no surprise that both men and women were counted
as citizens, even if their respective roles in public and private life were different.
Participation in the hiera and hosia of the polis concomitantly applied to male and
female citizens alike. Conversely, by participating in the hiera and hosia, a citizen
could demonstrate that he or she was a citizen. In this way, membership of the polis
was put into practice. |
