Citizenship in antiquity: Current perspectives and challenges

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the theory of citizenship, both generally and in the Greek and Roman contexts. It provides an anthropological perspective on citizenship, asking to what extent we speak about the same thing when discussing citizenship in classical antiquity and in the modern world. The book underlines how variability in the meanings of citizenship(s) in context can be grasped, how they are answers to conflicts and stakes, and the imaginaries at play about society and rights. It offers an overview of Greek citizenship, delineating who was entitled to it in various Greek states and what rights and responsibilities it entailed. The book briefly explores other divisions of citizens and forms of civic belonging, as well as enumerating other status categories and the possibility of grants of partial or full citizenship.