An Analysis Of The Confiscation System Of Athens In The Classical Age

Confiscation is an economic punishment that had existed from early times of ancient Greece,usually as an additional punishment along with other forms of punishment,but sometimes on its own.There is a great deal of classical resources about confiscation,especially in the fifth and fourth centuries BC,when many official document and literary texts,among them speeches,are preserved and handed down,that provides valuable information for people to understand the confiscation in Athens.This article is divided into three parts.In the first parts we will discuss the specific circumstances of confiscation.Blasphemy is mainly manifested in plundering temples,destroying statues,the profanity of the Mysterion,and deliberate murder.The destruction of Athenian political and military rule: politically,it is destruction of city-state democratic rule,corruption and bribery and subversion of Athenian democratic rule;militarily,it disobeys Athens’ corresponding rules of military management,and shirks military responsibilities,or launches war to destroy the allies of the Athenians and threaten Athens’ security.Violation of city-state economic management mainly involves matters such as public debts,illegal operations,and avoidance of liturgies;this part will explain one by one examples or legal provisions.The second part mainly discusses the specific process of confiscation.As for the process of confiscation,it is mainly divided into two categories: one is confiscation initiated by an official;the other is confiscation initiated by a private person who submits a list of confiscation(apographe).The second step is a public trial and auction of the property and eventually collection.The aforementioned process is the confiscation of property through legal procedures.However,in classical Athens there were also confiscations that went through illegal procedures,such as confiscation during the rule of the Thirty Tyrants.After confiscation,sometimes,the confiscated property is returned,for example,the city returns the confiscated property to Alkibiades,but this is rare.The third part discusses the results and functions of confiscation.The result of confiscation is that money goes into the Treasury,which is then allocated to the corresponding official institution,who spends it,but the form of the Treasury varies from time to time,and the official in charge of public expenditure varies.And the process of confiscation,from denunciation to confiscation,would influence on the city or individuals,and the effect of confiscation is not merely financial penalties,maintaining the order of the polis.The result of confiscation shows that confiscation will lead to the increase of the public revenues,to a certain extent,help maintain city economy,at the same time also is a way of prosecutors to increase income;the process of confiscation shows that some people also use the confiscation of property to attack political opponents,and even produce malicious prosecution.With the advent of Alexander’s conquest and Hellenization,the officials involved in the confiscation of property in Athens gradually disappears from the records,and the history of confiscation of Athens in classical age,seemed to come to an end.