In the Antiquity, the synœcism (in Greek old συνοικισμός / sunoikismós , derived from σύν / sún “with” and οἶκος / oĩkos “house”, is “community of houses”) is the founding document of a Cité. It is in general the meeting of several villages in a new State.

This one chooses a name and a protective divinity whose worship will be returned in what will be the center of the new city, generally a city existing already before (in the ancient Greece at least). It is in this place that all the activities of the public life will be gathered: debates, assemblies of the citizens ( ekklesia in Greece). It is thus of the time of the synœcism that always go back ─ in Greece ─ installation to a Agora , the choice of a protective divinity and the construction of sound Temple as well as the urban wall construction.

Examples in Greece

Although in general this place of worship doubled of the seat of the capacity becomes the principal hearth of settlement of the city, it is not always the case. It happens that the villages remain, and that the new center does not become a city: it is the case with Sparte. It also happens that several cities operate a synœcism; thus with Rhodos, the preexistent poleis disappeared, all the population moving in the new city. With Megalopolis, a new city was built.

It is not however about a simple confederation with more or less strong bonds: the formation of a new city prohibits it. It is really a question of constituting a vaster unit and more extremely, which replaces the old system of territorial tribes or gentilices like average privileged person of political action. The Greek historian Thucydide does not advance other explanations to the foundation of Athens only the resistance to the plunderers, which was impossible for separate and badly strengthened villages. He indicates that it is the reason of the plural of the word Athens, which thus keeps the trace of the villages which composed it.

Certain synœcisms tardily take place in the history of Greece: thus in 365 av. J. - C. for that of Cos (which ordered a statue of Aphrodite to the Praxitèle for its temple). However, the majority take place before at sixth century BC: thus of Athens, made of several villages, tie left the natural citadel of the Acropolis, and returning a worship with Athéna, shortly after 800 av. J. - C.

In the kingdoms hellenistic, the majority of the foundations of cities are in fact of the synœcisms. It is the case of the founded city of Cassandréia in Macedonia by Cassandre on the site of the city of Potidée, of the city of Bargasa, in Asia Mineure, founded by the Lagides and of the founded city of Lysimacheia in Chersonèse of Thrace by Lysimaque and populated with the inhabitants of Cardia.

One even meets still synœcisms at the time Roman, like that of ten cities of Épire and Étolie - Acarnanie, which succeeds, at the instigation of Octave to the creation of Nicopolis d' Épire in 31 av. J. - C.

In Rome

The foundation of ancient Rome was also done in the form of a synœcism, in the middle of eighth century BC, by the meeting of several villages cohabiting on various hills of Rome. The place of selected worship was the Capitole, which becomes the emblem of the city. The colony S Romans will have a whole a Capitole , returning a worship with the same trio of gods of the Triade capitoline , which made Rome in reduction of it.

Légendairement, the Roman synœcism is reported in the myth of the Enlèvement of Sabines, where the women, who are at the origin of the war between Sabins and Latin, and which as agents of the old order of the people, which is also those stop the conflict.

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