Koinon

As Koinon ( κοινόν, German Community, community or covenant; Koina Pl ( κοινά ) ) is in modern research indicates an early form of federal political organization in ancient Greece. These states are experienced especially in the Hellenistic her big time.

Term

Koinon first means only " the common ", the narrowing of the concept of "covenant" is modern. So Koinon designated for example, sometimes quite fundamental level, the community of those who were somehow entitled to participate in political life, particularly if it was not for citizens of a city. For example, there was a Koinon the Macedonians ( Κοινὸν Μακεδόνων ): It was the community of personally free Macedonians, who faced the monarch in the state and, depending on the balance of power, could take more or less influence on politics, for example, when they were summoned by the King to the people's Assembly.

In the Greek Koina of Hellenism against it acted either to the stable long-term merger formerly independent city-states ( poleis ), or, more rarely, to state-like structures of strains ( ethnos ) in peripheral areas of the Greek world, where the polis not the dominant form of political rule had.

To the union of several poleis to a covenant it came mostly due to external threat. The Koinon was so similar to a temporary symmachy, initially primarily a defensive alliance. However, a sharp demarcation between symmachy and Koinon is not always possible. In Koinon members had equal rights in general and the agreement also had a multilateral character, while Symmachien usually grouped around a strong polis and its members were bound by individual bilateral contracts on the hegemon.

Typical features

The Koina of Hellenism was common that they knew a common citizenship in contrast to the covenants of the classical period (such as the Delian League and the Peloponnesian League ): The full citizens of a Member Polis possessed both the civil rights of Koinon. Unlike a mere confederation of the decisions and regulations of the Federal were also superior to the laws and decisions of individual poleis. Although much was the common foreign and military policy, but attacked the Federal gatherings sometimes quite well in the internal affairs of a polis, to the forced constitutional change. Especially the major Koina often tried also an extension of an aggressive policy of expansion. A dual membership of a polis in several Koina not been possible a withdrawal, which took place without the consent of the Federal Assembly, was prevented by force generally. The Koina often had a common currency and common weights and measures.

The internal autonomy, which enjoyed the poleis in the Koina ( for example with respect to the criminal law ), varied considerably; so it was, for example in the Aetolian federal government apparently greater than in the Achaean Confederation. Most Koina were basically constructed institutionally in analogy to the typical polis and possessed therefore a Federal Assembly, which met two to four times a year and from the representatives of the cities ( often the size staggered ) consisted of a Federal Council and Federal officials in usually were elected for one year. The exact procedure and the power relationship between the Assembly and the Council differed from Koinon to Koinon. This is one of the reasons why you can not give a general answer to whether the Koina of Hellenism were commonwealths or already states.

Structure

To stabilize inward and outward autonomous members of the Koinon further competences transferred in addition to the defense to the federal government, such as the establishment of joint missions. The Koinon also served to settle the dispute between the members and thus the maintenance of peace. In order to make sure the established Community, also in common ritual acts were performed. In Dodona, for example, entered the Koinon of Epirus, but other frets with common queries to the oracle as well as with common sacrifices and votive offerings in appearance. Or is it a common sanctuary was even set up. Famous is the Panionion of the Ionian Federation in Asia Minor.

In order to survive in the concert of Hellenistic powers permanently, had to at least be made a minimum of urban -border institutions for the Koinon. In general, there was a Federal Assembly or / and a Federal Council ( Sanhedrin ), who was charged by the members Messenger. These elected magistrates who sided the federal tasks: For the case of war, for example, you chose one or more strategists, who led the federal troops. Some frets had a federal budget and therefore officials who managed this. How far were the powers of the federal institutions, was very different. Precise information can be to lack of sources often do not.

The number of belonging to a Koinon cities was, as well as the duration of the covenants, very different. The aforementioned Ionian Confederation comprised twelve cities, it existed over 200 years and was extremely stable. The Aetolian and the Achaiische covenant existed in their " Hellenistic " Nature without interruption around 130 each year, but partly with changing members, some of which were geographically far apart.

In Epirus and adjacent areas Illyrian there were a number Koina grouped around a stem ( ethnos ) or several tribes united together. Under the leadership of the Molosser Κοινὸν τῶν Μολοσσῶν ( koinon Molossôn ) was formed in the 4th century, which included the first ten and fifteen tribes later. Hegemon of this covenant were the Molossian kings, but the Koinon also acted independently from the king. In contrast to the other mentioned frets there was at the Epirotes not autonomous city-states as members. While the cities managed their own affairs, to the outside but they were represented by the Koinon of the tribe. The after the abolition of the monarchy (231 BC), Epirus newly formed federal government comprised at least 12 tribes, some of which were in turn organized inside as Koinon, the Chaonier and Thesprotians.

Under the protection of Antigonus of Cycladic Nesiotenbund ( νησιωτῶν κοινόν ) was founded in Delos 314. He stood in the subsequent period under changing hegemony of rival Hellenistic kings and has since been dissolved several times. Last ( 188-167 BC) were the Rhodians protectors of the Federation.

In Roman times was called Koinon the merger of cities in the eastern provinces who came together in a kind of provincial assembly (eg in Asia, led by the Asiarchs ). Main task of this late Koina was the imperial cult; but they also acted as the representative of the province to the Emperor and the Senate.