Metic

In Ancient Greece,term metic meant simplyforeigner,non-Greek, livingone ofGreek city-states. It did not havepejorative sense thathas todaysome languages.

Etymologically,word comes fromGreek metoikos, from meta, "change,"oikos, "house."

The Greeks differentiated foreigners incity who were Greek from those who were not Greek (metics). Free foreigners who came from Greece, but who were bornmetic parents, were also considered metics. Resident Greek foreigners were considered free men, while non-Greek foreignersbarbarians were suspect, as one could never be certain thatforeigner was reallyfree man (eleutheros). The city, therefore, hadbe cautiouswatch them, asas this did not interferehospitality or asylum, whichGreeks valued highly. However,expulsionforeigners (xenelasia) wascommon practise.

Althoughwere residents, barbarian foreigners had no special legal protection. Greek foreigners had no political rights but had certain fiscal obligations. Marriage betweenmetic andcitizen woman was not recognized. Metics were reigstered, like citizens, withindeme, but hadfindprostates (patron) who could vouchhim, andproxenos who would represent himcourt. Patrons would purchase landholdin behalf ofmetics, who could not own their own land. Depending oncity,metic might also havecontribute financially toreligious liturgies,could have military obligations assimple soldier. Metics were always put under certain controls, butimportance ofcontrols depended oncosmopolitan character ofcity andpossible bilateral legal conventions between cities.

Free Greek foreigners were excluded from politics, butbelonged tosame community as citizens, sharinglanguage, religion,sanctuations. The rightcitizenship was rarely granted, butpractisehospitality (xenia) offered certain guarantees. Generally, cities did not aimintegrate foreigners as full citizens.

Metics often oversaw Hellenic commercebankingformed part ofgovernmental bureaucracy.