Contribution of epigraphy to the study of borders in the Ancient World: Thasos in the Archaic and Classical periods.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2448-1750.revmae.2026.247134Keywords:
Frontier, Epigraphy, Thasos, Translation, Space disciplineAbstract
In the light of the most recent discussions of the concept of frontier in Antiquity, this article presents an original translation and interpretation in Portuguese of three epigraphic documents, the Stele from the Harbour, the Stele from Aliki and the Laws concerning Wine and Vinegar, dated around the 5th century BC, and through them, the functions performed by the control of land paths – streets and roads – and the sea in the polis of Thasos in archaic and classical periods. Although dealing individually with different subjects, the intersections of the documents are highlighted in its various aspects, pointing out to the importance of the sea, the ways borders were established through paths and streets and how those also helped regulate daily life and space, with the mingles of the public and private spheres and its legal complexity, especially concerning private property and public health. Enriching even more the scene of an important Mediterranean polis, it is unveiled how the control imposed by this society on paths acted in the social organization and its materialization, establishing an integration, articulation and fluidity of borders between the different polis’ spaces: public, private and sacred, from labour world to that of fruition, capable of providing contact between Greeks and non-Greeks, the inhabitants of the urban area and the countryside, men and women, citizens, free men and slaves.
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Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Grant numbers Proc. 2014/15950-7
