SEMINAR: Irad Malkin, Tel Aviv University, "Sailing on equal and fair terms: distributing land to Greek settlers"

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - 4:30pm to 6:00pm

402 Cohen Hall

A remarkable feature of early Greek colonies is the division of the land into equal klêroi (“lots,” “plots of land”) and their apparent assignation by lot to a group of settlers who were themselves sometimes chosen by lot to become settlers. Lottery-practices reveal a particular Greek mindset that considers randomness as essential to the well-being of the community, and perceiving the group of settlers as a community of “sharers.” Like the distribution of spoils, access to the lottery defines, inclusively, the community while excluding others. Unlike other cultures where “fairness” may be proportional (“It is only fair the pirate-captain should get more) Greeks attempted for fairness to be as close as possible to equality, and were therefore sailing on “equal and fair terms,”isai kai homoiai.