Social mobility in Athens in the fourth century BC

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamics of social mobility in the context of Athenian society during the fourth century BC. In contrast to the contemporary studies’ emphasis on occupation, class or wealth as the main venues for mobility, this thesis argues for a multiplicity of contexts in which individuals could experience mobility, and it adopts a qualitative approach and a conceptual framework that are sensitive to individual experiences. The thesis focuses on three cases drawn from the corpus of the fourth-century Athenian court speeches: Timarchos of Sphettos, Midas the perfumer and his family, and Pasion of Acharnai. Each case study unravels the multidimensionality of social mobility as it was experienced at the personal level; as exceptional as these cases might seem to be, their personal nature demonstrates a set of factors, whether individual or institutional, for mobility, and the potential replications of these elements check our interpretations of the Athenian social reality.