An isopoliteia ( grc, ἰσοπολιτεία) was a treaty of equal citizenship rights between the ''

poleis ''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...

'' (

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

s) of

ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

. This happened through either mutual agreement between cities or through exchange of individual decrees. It was used to cement amicable diplomatic relations. The

Aetolian League The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League ( grc-gre, Κοινὸν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν) was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in central Greece. It was probably established during the early Hellen ...

was a unique case of a larger political entity which granted ''isopoliteia'' treaties. '' Sympoliteia'' goes further, merging the governments of two or more ''poleis''.

History

There are many examples of this, such as a pact between

Miletus Miletus (; gr, Μῑ́λητος, Mī́lētos; Hittite transcription ''Millawanda'' or ''Milawata'' (exonyms); la, Mīlētus; tr, Milet) was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in a ...

and

Cyzicus Cyzicus (; grc, Κύζικος ''Kúzikos''; ota, آیدینجق, ''Aydıncıḳ'') was an ancient Greek town in Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peni ...

from approximately 330 BC which recorded their eternal friendship. On other occasions the treaties had a limited duration and had to be renewed, such as a treaty between Miletus and Phygela from the end of the fourth century BC, which renewed the ''isopoliteia'' between them. A

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

could also be granted an ''isopoliteia'' from its mother city, like

Kios Cius (; grc-gre, Kίος or Κῖος ''Kios''), later renamed Prusias on the Sea (; la, Prusias ad Mare) after king Prusias I of Bithynia, was an ancient Greek city bordering the Propontis (now known as the Sea of Marmara), in Bithynia and in ...

obtained it from Miletus in ca. 228 BC. With an ''isopoliteia'' citizens could enjoy the privileges of their citizenship in both cities who took part in the treaty. In practice this meant they were entitled to benefits such as exemption from taxation, the right to sacrifice in the public cults, special seats at public gatherings, and the right to argue lawsuits in the public court that was reserved for citizens. Also, any citizen of the one city who wanted to obtain full citizenship — especially eligibility for public office — in the other city need only declare himself liable to taxation. In the case of mother cities and colonies the relationship was unusual, because mother cities would normally strictly limit the right of return of their former citizens who settled in their colonies. Vanessa Gorman argues that Miletus used ''isopoliteia'' treaties to attract settlers from its colonies when the city was rebuilt after the Battle of Mycale in 479 BC. The resettlement of

Teos Teos ( grc, Τέως) or Teo was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus. It was founded by Minyans from Orchomenus, Ionians and Boeotians, but the date of its foundation is unknown. Teos was ...

around the second half of the sixth century by settlers from its colony Abdera might have been a similar case.

History

See also

References

Further reading