Politeuma in Plutarch
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Abstract
In several studies on the interpretation of the term politeuma, Patrick Sí¤nger argues that it has three basic meanings: (a) ‘political act’, (b) ‘citizenry’ or ‘active citizenry’, and (c) ‘polity’ and thus ‘state’ (in origin polis), sometimes having the connotation ‘constitution’. Although the interpretation of the word can be traced back at least to Aristotle, it is generally acknowledged that its basic meanings can be found as well in Hellenistic and Roman literature, sometimes even used side by side.
Taking into account the epoch in which Plutarch wrote his work and the wide chronological period that it covers (especially the Lives), it can be expected that Plutarch might be a very illustrative guide for the use of the term politeuma. The word occurs in fact 75 times throughout his work (with 63 occurrences in the Lives and 12 in the Moralia). In most cases, it is used only once or twice in a single biography or in a piece of the Moralia. There are, however, three exceptions to this global pattern: the Lives of Lycurgus and Numa (including the Comparatio), which concentrate 12 occurrences; those of Agis/Cleomenes and Tiberius/Gaius Gracchus (plus the Comparatio) with 13; finally, and from the Moralia, the An seni respublica gerenda sit, with 5 passages.
This paper discusses the way Plutarch combines text and context, namely the way the concept of politeuma works in the context in which it is used throughout the Lives and the Moralia.
Taking into account the epoch in which Plutarch wrote his work and the wide chronological period that it covers (especially the Lives), it can be expected that Plutarch might be a very illustrative guide for the use of the term politeuma. The word occurs in fact 75 times throughout his work (with 63 occurrences in the Lives and 12 in the Moralia). In most cases, it is used only once or twice in a single biography or in a piece of the Moralia. There are, however, three exceptions to this global pattern: the Lives of Lycurgus and Numa (including the Comparatio), which concentrate 12 occurrences; those of Agis/Cleomenes and Tiberius/Gaius Gracchus (plus the Comparatio) with 13; finally, and from the Moralia, the An seni respublica gerenda sit, with 5 passages.
This paper discusses the way Plutarch combines text and context, namely the way the concept of politeuma works in the context in which it is used throughout the Lives and the Moralia.
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Ferreira Leão, D. (2016). Politeuma in Plutarch. Synthesis, 23, e007. Retrieved from https://www.synthesis.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/article/view/SYNe007
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.es).
References
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Cornell, T. J. (1995) The Beginnings of Rome. Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), London, Repr. 2001.
Duff, T. E. (1999) Plutarch’s Lives. Exploring Virtue and Vice, Oxford.
Hansen, M. H. (1994) “Polis, politeuma and politeia. A note on Arist. Pol. 1278b6-14”, in David Whitehead (ed.): From Political Architecture to Stephanus Byzantius. Sources for the Ancient Greek Polis, Stuttgart: 91-98.
Lüderitz, G.(1994) “What is the politeuma?”, in Jan W. van Henten & Pieter W. van der Horst (eds.): Studies in Early Jewish Epigraphy (Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums, vol. 21), Leiden: 183-225.
Ruppel, W. (1927) “Politeuma. Bedeutungsgeschichte eines staatsrechtlichen Terminus”, Philologus, 82: 268-312 and 433-454.
Sänger, P. (2013) “The politeuma in the Hellenistic world (Third to First Century B.C.): a form of organisation to integrate minorities”, in Julia Dahlvik, Christoph Reinprecht & Wiebke Sievers (Hg.), Migration und Integration — wissenschaftliche Perspektiven aus Österreich, Vienna: 51-68.
Sänger, P. (2016) “Das politeuma in der hellenistischen Staatenwelt: Eine Organisationsform zur Systemintegration von Minderheiten”, in P. Sänger (Hg.), Minderheiten und Migration in der griechisch-römischen Welt: politische, rechtliche, religiöse und kulturelle Aspekte (Studien zur historischen Migrationsforschung 31), Paderborn: 25-45.
Sänger, P. (Forthcoming) “The meaning of the word πολίτευμα in the light of the Judaeo-Hellenistic literature”, in T. Derda, A. Łajtar, J. Urbanik (eds.), Proceedings of the 27th International Congress of Papyrology, Warsaw, 29 July – 3 August 2013 (The Journal of Juristic Papyrology. Supplements), Warsaw: Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw i.a. (accepted for publication).
Tröster, M. (2008) Themes, Character, and Politics in Plutarch’s Life of Lucullus. The Construction of a Roman Aristocrat, Stuttgart.
Zuckerman, C. (1985–1988) “Hellenistic politeumata and the Jews. A Reconsideration”, Scripta Classica Israelica, vol. 8/9: 171-185.
Cornell, T. J. (1995) The Beginnings of Rome. Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), London, Repr. 2001.
Duff, T. E. (1999) Plutarch’s Lives. Exploring Virtue and Vice, Oxford.
Hansen, M. H. (1994) “Polis, politeuma and politeia. A note on Arist. Pol. 1278b6-14”, in David Whitehead (ed.): From Political Architecture to Stephanus Byzantius. Sources for the Ancient Greek Polis, Stuttgart: 91-98.
Lüderitz, G.(1994) “What is the politeuma?”, in Jan W. van Henten & Pieter W. van der Horst (eds.): Studies in Early Jewish Epigraphy (Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums, vol. 21), Leiden: 183-225.
Ruppel, W. (1927) “Politeuma. Bedeutungsgeschichte eines staatsrechtlichen Terminus”, Philologus, 82: 268-312 and 433-454.
Sänger, P. (2013) “The politeuma in the Hellenistic world (Third to First Century B.C.): a form of organisation to integrate minorities”, in Julia Dahlvik, Christoph Reinprecht & Wiebke Sievers (Hg.), Migration und Integration — wissenschaftliche Perspektiven aus Österreich, Vienna: 51-68.
Sänger, P. (2016) “Das politeuma in der hellenistischen Staatenwelt: Eine Organisationsform zur Systemintegration von Minderheiten”, in P. Sänger (Hg.), Minderheiten und Migration in der griechisch-römischen Welt: politische, rechtliche, religiöse und kulturelle Aspekte (Studien zur historischen Migrationsforschung 31), Paderborn: 25-45.
Sänger, P. (Forthcoming) “The meaning of the word πολίτευμα in the light of the Judaeo-Hellenistic literature”, in T. Derda, A. Łajtar, J. Urbanik (eds.), Proceedings of the 27th International Congress of Papyrology, Warsaw, 29 July – 3 August 2013 (The Journal of Juristic Papyrology. Supplements), Warsaw: Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw i.a. (accepted for publication).
Tröster, M. (2008) Themes, Character, and Politics in Plutarch’s Life of Lucullus. The Construction of a Roman Aristocrat, Stuttgart.
Zuckerman, C. (1985–1988) “Hellenistic politeumata and the Jews. A Reconsideration”, Scripta Classica Israelica, vol. 8/9: 171-185.