Cleruchy

In ancient Greece, a Kleruch was a settler, who was in a lottery, a piece of land that had been conquered in war by the state. Cleruchs retained the citizenship of their home country and were to pay taxes and serve in the military committed to their polis. In this way, citizens founded colonies cleruchies ( κληρουχία / klêrouchía ) were called. A cleruchy remained dependent as opposed to a regular colony founding of the Mother City.

The beginnings of the Athenian cleruchies system are to be found in BC 6th century with the establishment of cleruchies in Sigeion and Salamis. During the 5th and 4th century BC was the establishment of Chalcis in Euboea cleruchs in (506 ), on Lemnos ( 499 ), Imbros ( 499 ), Skyros (476 /75), in Hestiaia Euboea (446 ), on Lesbos ( 427 ), Melos (416 /15), Samos (365 /64) and some other Aegean islands. The system of cleruchies went there regularly accompanied by the expulsion, killing or enslaving the native population.

Even if a distinction in Athens between Apoikien and cleruchies ( approximately inscriptions ), so blurred in the literary sources, this differentiation is not rare, and in fact was probably largely abandoned in the 4th century BC. In general, the Athenian Apoikien were, despite the different legal status, already very closely associated with Athens, which is a special feature compared to other poleis Apoikien and was due not least to the fact that Athens used his cleruchies in Seebundsgebiet for securing power. In contrast, the Athenian citizens had cleruchies Although the civil rights, but could this exercise in Athens barely.