Αὐτονομουμένη πόλις

autonomously-governed polis

Translated by Alexander Tulin · 25 Mar 1999 · Vetting: high · 9 revisions

Translation

One using its own laws¹ and not subject² to others.³

Greek original

Αὐτονομουμένη πόλις· ἡ τοῖς αὑτῆς νόμοις χρωμένη καὶ οὐχ ὑπακούουσα ἑτέροις.

Betacode

*au)tonomoume/nh po/lis: h( toi=s au(th=s no/mois xrwme/nh kai\ ou)x u(pakou/ousa e(te/rois.

Notes (3)

Same entry in Photius and other lexica; see further below. The headword phrase in this precise form is otherwise unattested, but compare e.g. the plurals in Polybius 21.22.10 and Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 14.147.
1For no/mois xrwme/nh, compare Herodotus 1.173, 216, etc.; and alpha 4656. ↩
2For the verb u(pakou/ein (and its cognate u(ph/koos) of "subject" or dependent cities, compare Thucydides 2.62, 4.56, 6.82, 7.57.3ff.; Xenophon, Hellenica 4.1.36, etc.; see Meritt/Wade-Gery/McGregor, The Athenian Tribute Lists III.155f. ↩
3Besides the lexica, compare the scholia to Thucydides 2.29.2; also IG I(3) 127.15f. = Meiggs/Lewis, Greek Historical Inscriptions 94.15f. (405 BCE).
The lexicographers echo the language of the First Athenian Empire, in which autonomia is commonly distinguished from eleutheria. By contrast with eleutheroi, who were entirely independent, autonomia assured the rights of an allied city to conduct most of its own internal affairs (courts, magistracies, etc.) without restriction, though it was constrained in the free exercise of foreign/military policy by conditions imposed upon it by political alliances, i.e., by the hegemonic powers (Bickerman). In contrast with "subject" or dependent states ('hypekooi'), which were denied all military capabilities, autonomous states were obliged to maintain or provision military forces for the alliance, and were free from most if not all tribute assessments (Figueira, 1993, 260f.; also 1998, 249f.). Gomme thought that the term was "conveniently elastic" (HCT I:385); that it was used in the extant sources to cover complete independence (Thuc. 1.113.4), independence within the confines of a military alliance, and even nominal independence (as, e.g., Aigina [Myth, Place]; contrast Figueira, 1993). Early literary references (e.g. Sophocles, Antigone 821f.) pose no difficulty, and attempts to explain these passages as somehow derived from an original, "political" sense (Ostwald, 10-12) are not persuasive.

References

Bickerman, E.J., "Autonomia: sur un passage du Thucydide (I,144,2)," RIDA (ser.3) 5 (1958) 313-44
Figueira, T.J., "Autonomoi kata tas spondas (Thucydides 1.67.2)," in Excursions in Epichoric History (Lanham 1993) 255-292
Figueira, T.J., The Power of Money (Philadelphia 1998)
Gomme, A.W., Andrewes, A., and Dover, K.J., A Historical Commentary on Thucydides. 5 vols (Oxford 1945-70)
Ostwald, M., Autonomia: Its Genesis and Early History. APA American Classical Studies 11 (n.p., 1982)

Neighbours in Adler order

α4509Αὐτομαχεῖνto fight one's own battle α4510Αὐτομόλωςdeserter-like α4511Αὐτὸν κέκρουκας τὸν βατῆρα τῆς θύραςyou have hit the very threshold of the door α4512Αὐτονομουμένη πόλιςautonomously-governed polis α4513Αὐτὸν οὐ τρέφων κύνας τρέφειςyou can't keep yourself [yet] you keep dogs α4514Αὐτονυχίthat very night α4515Αὐτοπαθῶςcandidly, from one's own experience

Revisions (9)

21 Dec 2015Catharine Rothbetacode typo
13 Feb 2015Catharine Rothcoding
3 May 2012David Whiteheadexpanded primary note; another keyword; tweaks and cosmetics
20 Nov 2005David Whiteheadmore keywords
29 Aug 2002David Whiteheadaugmented note
28 Aug 2002David Whiteheadmodified translation; added note and keyword; cosmetics
30 Dec 1999Eric Nelson
25 Mar 1999Alexander Tulintranslated

Notes (3)

Same entry in Photius and other lexica; see further below. The headword phrase in this precise form is otherwise unattested, but compare e.g. the plurals in Polybius 21.22.10 and Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 14.147.

1For no/mois xrwme/nh, compare Herodotus 1.173, 216, etc.; and alpha 4656. ↩

2For the verb u(pakou/ein (and its cognate u(ph/koos) of "subject" or dependent cities, compare Thucydides 2.62, 4.56, 6.82, 7.57.3ff.; Xenophon, Hellenica 4.1.36, etc.; see Meritt/Wade-Gery/McGregor, The Athenian Tribute Lists III.155f. ↩

3Besides the lexica, compare the scholia to Thucydides 2.29.2; also IG I(3) 127.15f. = Meiggs/Lewis, Greek Historical Inscriptions 94.15f. (405 BCE).
The lexicographers echo the language of the First Athenian Empire, in which autonomia is commonly distinguished from eleutheria. By contrast with eleutheroi, who were entirely independent, autonomia assured the rights of an allied city to conduct most of its own internal affairs (courts, magistracies, etc.) without restriction, though it was constrained in the free exercise of foreign/military policy by conditions imposed upon it by political alliances, i.e., by the hegemonic powers (Bickerman). In contrast with "subject" or dependent states ('hypekooi'), which were denied all military capabilities, autonomous states were obliged to maintain or provision military forces for the alliance, and were free from most if not all tribute assessments (Figueira, 1993, 260f.; also 1998, 249f.). Gomme thought that the term was "conveniently elastic" (HCT I:385); that it was used in the extant sources to cover complete independence (Thuc. 1.113.4), independence within the confines of a military alliance, and even nominal independence (as, e.g., Aigina [Myth, Place]; contrast Figueira, 1993). Early literary references (e.g. Sophocles, Antigone 821f.) pose no difficulty, and attempts to explain these passages as somehow derived from an original, "political" sense (Ostwald, 10-12) are not persuasive.