Rethinking ‘Border Cities’ in Ancient Greece: Conceptual Challenges and Case Studies

The notion of the ‘border city’ is inherently polysemic and depends largely on the meaning ascribed to the term ‘border’. In this respect, at least three analytical levels may be distinguished: geographical (the border as a natural barrier), socio-political (as an administrative boundary), and symbolic-anthropological (as a liminal space in relation to an ‘other’).

When applied to the Greek world, modern conceptualisations of the ‘border city’ capture only part of the range of meanings that may be attributed to a border polis. This seminar addresses three main questions: the potential and the limits of applying this modern category to the context of the Greek poleis; the ways in which the notion of a ‘border city’ is articulated in the Greek language; and the analysis of selected case studies capable of shedding light on broader dynamics.

Rather than offering a comprehensive framework, the presentation aims to open up a line of enquiry into a topic that still calls for more systematic reflection.