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Last Updated on 24 Feb 2017

Author: Ilias Arnaoutoglou

CAPInv. 1544: eranistai hoi meta Mnesitheou

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Attica with Salamis
ii. Region Attica
iii. Site Teithras (modern Pikermi)

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) ἐρανισταί οἱ μετὰ Μνησιθέου (SEG 23: 96, ll. 3-5)
ii. Full name (transliterated) eranistai hoi meta Mnesitheou

III. DATE

i. Date(s) m. iv (?) - l. iv (?) BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Personal:meta Mnesitheou

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) SEG 23: 96 (m. iv (?) - l. iv (?) BC)
Note Ed. pr.:Hesperia 35 (1966): 277, no. 4 BE 1967: no. 233
Other publications: Finley 1951: no. 163A
Online Resources SEG 23: 96
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek horos of houses and adjacent land mortgaged for a loan of a talent.
i.c. Physical format(s) Complete rough slab of schist measuring 0.37x0.215x0.03-0.05m.
ii. Source(s) provenance Found in the village of Pikermi, now in EM 2366.

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership On the basis of the expression meta Mnesitheou in the name of the group, perhaps Mnesitheos (Athenian Onomasticon s.v. (19)) was the leader.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments A certain Μνησίθεος, Mnesitheos is attested in Dem., Meid. 82.
iii. Bibliography Arnaoutoglou, I. (2003), Thusias heneka kai sunousias. Private religious associations in Hellenistic Athens. Athens.
Cohen, E. (1992), Athenian economy and society. A banking perspective. Princeton: 207-15.
Faraguna, M. (2012), ‘Diritto, economia, societa: riflessioni su eranos tra eta omerica e mondo ellenistico’, in B. Legras (ed.), Transferts culturels et droits dans le monde grec et hellenistique, Paris: 129-53.
Finley, M. (1951), Studies in land and credit in ancient Athens, 500-200 B.C. The Horos inscriptions. New Brunswick.
Harris, E. (2013), ‘Finley’s Studies in land and credit sixty years later’, Dike 16: 123-46.
Ismard, P. (2010), La cité des réseaux. Athènes et ses associations VIe – Ier siècle av. J.-C. Paris: 281-4.
Millett, P. (1991), Lending and borrowing in ancient Athens. Cambridge.
Thomsen, Chr. (2015), ‘The eranistai of classical Athens’, GRBS 55: 154-75.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note Although it was forcibly argued by Finley 1951 and Millett 1991 that eranistai in horoi inscriptions should not be regarded as associations, I think that there are good grounds to consider these groups as private associations (see also Thomsen 2015). Firstly, in almost all cases they are identified as eranistai hoi meta… or hoi peri, an element that points to a certain embryonic or nascent collective identity. Secondly, they also pull their resources (or part of it) together to lend money, for which they acquire the legal standing as creditors, whose claim is secured. Thirdly, in case the repayment of the loan does not proceed, they may be represented in law courts.