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Proxeny
Proxeny or proxenia (Ancient Greek: προξενία) in ancient Greece was an arrangement whereby a citizen (chosen by the city) hosted foreign ambassadors at his own expense, in return for honorary titles from the state. The citizen was called proxenos (πρόξενος; plural: proxenoi or proxeni, "instead of a foreigner") or proxeinos (πρόξεινος). The proxeny decrees, which amount to letters patent and resolutions of appreciation were issued by one state to a citizen of another for service as proxenos, a kind of honorary consul looking after the interests of the other state's citizens. A common phrase is euergetes (benefactor) and proxenos (πρόξεινος τε ειη και ευεργέτης).
A proxenos would use whatever influence he had in his own city to promote policies of friendship or alliance with the city he voluntarily represented. For example, Cimon was Sparta's proxenos at Athens and during his period of prominence in Athenian politics, previous to the outbreak of the First Peloponnesian War, he strongly advocated a policy of cooperation between the two states. Cimon was known to be so fond of Sparta that he named one of his sons Lacedaemonius (as Sparta was known as Lacedaemon in antiquity).
Being another city's proxenos did not preclude taking part in war against that city, should it break out – since the proxenos' ultimate loyalty was to his own city. However, a proxenos would naturally try his best to prevent such a war and to resolve the differences that were threatening to cause it. And once peace negotiations were on the way, a proxenos' contacts and goodwill in the enemy city could be profitably used by his city.
The position of proxenos for a particular city was often hereditary in a particular family.
A 2024 study in the Journal of Economic History linked the presence of proxeny arrangements to increases in trade flows.
Delos was known as an independent city-state with a major sanctuary and port in the Greek world, a commercial centre and a religious centre that attracted many visitors from within and outside the Greek world. As the birthplace of Apollo, Delos held pan-Hellenic religious significance, making its decrees symbolically authoritative. During the Hellenistic era, Delos allowed non-Greek rituals to be performed, and both Greeks and non-Greeks came to offer sacrifices, making Delos an ideal place to publish decrees of commendation. During the independence of Delos, there were 507 honorific decrees, including those that did not include the word ‘proxenos’ and those without any other related honour. Meanwhile some scholars have suggested that the number of decrees identified as undoubtedly Proxeny is 239. Delos itself was a small island with little habitable area and a small civic population, so most of the honours were bestowed on non-natives. Decrees honouring proxeny, mostly in the form of separate monuments, were more concentrated in date and appear later, beginning in the 4th century BC and ending in the 2nd century AD. Of these, the largest number of proxeny decrees were issued in the 2nd century BC. This prosperity may have reflected the growing commercial position of Delos under Athenian control, although some scholars attribute it to increased competition for influence among the Hellenistic kingdoms. There was also a regular pattern of decrees honouring proxeny issued by the Ecclesia and the Council of Delos:
ἔδοξεν τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῶι δήμωι· Τηλέμνηστος Ἀριστείδου εἶπεν· ἐπειδὴ Μάαρκος Σέστιος Μαάρκου Φρεγελλανὸς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ὢν διατελεῖ περί τε [τὸ] ἱερὸν καὶ τὸν δῆμον τὸν Δηλίων καὶ χρείας παρέχετα[ι] καὶ κοινεῖ τῆι πόλει καὶ ἰδί[αι] τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν αὐτ[ῶι] τῶν πολιτῶν εἰς ἃ ἄν τις [αὐ]τὸν παρακαλεῖ, τὴν πᾶσα[ν σπου]δὴν καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν ποιούμ[ε]νος· περὶ δὴ τούτων δεδόχ[θαι] τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῶι δήμωι· ἐπαινέσαι Μάαρκον Σέστιον Μαάρκου Φρεγελλανὸν ἐπὶ τῆι α[ἱ]ρέσει ἧν ἔχων διατελεῖ περί τε τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ τὸν δῆμον τὸν Δηλίων καὶ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρ[ό]ξενον καὶ εὐεργέτην τοῦ τε ἱεροῦ καὶ Δηλίων καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐγγόνους, εἶναι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐν Δήλωι γῆς καὶ οἰκίας ἔνκτησιν [καὶ] πρόσοδον πρὸς τὴ[ν βουλὴν ․․․․].
Translation:
Hub AI
Proxeny AI simulator
(@Proxeny_simulator)
Proxeny
Proxeny or proxenia (Ancient Greek: προξενία) in ancient Greece was an arrangement whereby a citizen (chosen by the city) hosted foreign ambassadors at his own expense, in return for honorary titles from the state. The citizen was called proxenos (πρόξενος; plural: proxenoi or proxeni, "instead of a foreigner") or proxeinos (πρόξεινος). The proxeny decrees, which amount to letters patent and resolutions of appreciation were issued by one state to a citizen of another for service as proxenos, a kind of honorary consul looking after the interests of the other state's citizens. A common phrase is euergetes (benefactor) and proxenos (πρόξεινος τε ειη και ευεργέτης).
A proxenos would use whatever influence he had in his own city to promote policies of friendship or alliance with the city he voluntarily represented. For example, Cimon was Sparta's proxenos at Athens and during his period of prominence in Athenian politics, previous to the outbreak of the First Peloponnesian War, he strongly advocated a policy of cooperation between the two states. Cimon was known to be so fond of Sparta that he named one of his sons Lacedaemonius (as Sparta was known as Lacedaemon in antiquity).
Being another city's proxenos did not preclude taking part in war against that city, should it break out – since the proxenos' ultimate loyalty was to his own city. However, a proxenos would naturally try his best to prevent such a war and to resolve the differences that were threatening to cause it. And once peace negotiations were on the way, a proxenos' contacts and goodwill in the enemy city could be profitably used by his city.
The position of proxenos for a particular city was often hereditary in a particular family.
A 2024 study in the Journal of Economic History linked the presence of proxeny arrangements to increases in trade flows.
Delos was known as an independent city-state with a major sanctuary and port in the Greek world, a commercial centre and a religious centre that attracted many visitors from within and outside the Greek world. As the birthplace of Apollo, Delos held pan-Hellenic religious significance, making its decrees symbolically authoritative. During the Hellenistic era, Delos allowed non-Greek rituals to be performed, and both Greeks and non-Greeks came to offer sacrifices, making Delos an ideal place to publish decrees of commendation. During the independence of Delos, there were 507 honorific decrees, including those that did not include the word ‘proxenos’ and those without any other related honour. Meanwhile some scholars have suggested that the number of decrees identified as undoubtedly Proxeny is 239. Delos itself was a small island with little habitable area and a small civic population, so most of the honours were bestowed on non-natives. Decrees honouring proxeny, mostly in the form of separate monuments, were more concentrated in date and appear later, beginning in the 4th century BC and ending in the 2nd century AD. Of these, the largest number of proxeny decrees were issued in the 2nd century BC. This prosperity may have reflected the growing commercial position of Delos under Athenian control, although some scholars attribute it to increased competition for influence among the Hellenistic kingdoms. There was also a regular pattern of decrees honouring proxeny issued by the Ecclesia and the Council of Delos:
ἔδοξεν τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῶι δήμωι· Τηλέμνηστος Ἀριστείδου εἶπεν· ἐπειδὴ Μάαρκος Σέστιος Μαάρκου Φρεγελλανὸς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς ὢν διατελεῖ περί τε [τὸ] ἱερὸν καὶ τὸν δῆμον τὸν Δηλίων καὶ χρείας παρέχετα[ι] καὶ κοινεῖ τῆι πόλει καὶ ἰδί[αι] τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν αὐτ[ῶι] τῶν πολιτῶν εἰς ἃ ἄν τις [αὐ]τὸν παρακαλεῖ, τὴν πᾶσα[ν σπου]δὴν καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν ποιούμ[ε]νος· περὶ δὴ τούτων δεδόχ[θαι] τῆι βουλῆι καὶ τῶι δήμωι· ἐπαινέσαι Μάαρκον Σέστιον Μαάρκου Φρεγελλανὸν ἐπὶ τῆι α[ἱ]ρέσει ἧν ἔχων διατελεῖ περί τε τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ τὸν δῆμον τὸν Δηλίων καὶ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρ[ό]ξενον καὶ εὐεργέτην τοῦ τε ἱεροῦ καὶ Δηλίων καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐγγόνους, εἶναι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐν Δήλωι γῆς καὶ οἰκίας ἔνκτησιν [καὶ] πρόσοδον πρὸς τὴ[ν βουλὴν ․․․․].
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