Hellenistic Epidaurian Inscription

 


The above inscription, dated to 241 B.C.E., details one instance of what, according to historian F.W. Wallbank, was a common occurrence among city-states during the Hellenistic period: two city-states settling a dispute by engaging a third party (usually either another city-state or an overseeing Hellenistic king) as an adjudicator. In the inscription presented, the Megarians send 151 men to resolve a conflict in which they have no stake. That is an incredible amount of bureaucracy through which to work in order to solve such a dispute! Why, one asks, would city-states behave in this manner? 


The answer is in fact unique to the Hellenistic period of Greek history. According to Wallbank, Hellenistic kings, who ruled over many formerly independent city-states, usually found unexpected military conflicts between their subjects embarrassing; thus, they supported any reconciliation attempts that did not involve military action. The legal bureaucracies in some Hellenistic city-states were so dysfunctional that “impartial” judges would be called in from neighboring city-states to resolve intra-city issues. This is one of the hallmarks of Greek bureaucracy during the Hellenistic age: increased cooperation between the administrations of individual city-states under one Hellenistic king.


Bresson, Alain. The Making of the Ancient Greek Economy: Institutions, Markets, and Growth in the City-States. Princeton University Press, 2016.

Wallbank, T. W. (1996). Civilization Past & Present. HarperCollins College Publishers.


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