Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
This article presents an overview of Roman citizens registered in the small Attic deme of Besa. The epigraphic record indicates that three Roman emperors—Hadrian, Commodus and Severus Alexander—were enrolled as citizens in this deme, as was the influential eastern magnate G. Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos and several men who dominated Athenian politics during the High Imperial period. We argue that Hadrian's enrolment and repeated sojourns in Athens encouraged various individuals—including two of his successors—to join this deme, but why did the emperor himself choose Besa and not a larger, more important deme in the city's civic centre? Consequently, where did he live while serving as eponymous archon of Athens in 111/112 and later during his visits to the city as emperor? By synthesizing epigraphic, literary, archaeological and environmental sources, this paper offers the first comprehensive examination of Besa and its Roman citizens, highlighting the deme's significance within imperial Athens and the broader Roman empire. Finally, it suggests avenues for further interdisciplinary research in the study of this region of south Attica.
DOI
10.1017/S0009838824000429
Recommended Citation
Kouremenos, A., & Mitropoulos, G. (2024). Romans at Besa: New light on an Athenian deme in the imperial period. The Classical Quarterly, 74(1) 159-175. Doi:10.1017/S0009838824000429
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Comments
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license