Open Access
From Democracy to Oligarchy – the Role of the Civic Elite Within the Community in Roman Delphi
Author(s) -
Dominika Grzesik
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
studies in ancient art and civilization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2449-867X
pISSN - 1899-1548
DOI - 10.12797/saac.22.2018.22.06
Subject(s) - elite , oligarchy , delphi , phenomenon , democracy , power (physics) , delphi method , political science , history , sociology , law , politics , epistemology , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics , operating system
Oligarchization was a widespread phenomenon that had similar features throughout the Greek world. The differences and variants, however, should not be overlooked. My goal is to present the Delphic version of oligarchization — a task that has not been undertaken so far. The article aims to present how the leading families of Delphi accumulated power and how they operated within a wider Roman world-system. I use the epigraphical and literary sources to assess the degree to which the illustrious families of Delphi entered the wider provincial and imperial elite, and indicate whether careers were of a more local nature. I conclude the paper by analyzing the relationship between the city and its elite and focus on the benefactions recorded in the epigraphic material.