Perioikoi - Greek word perioikoi

Meaning "people living in the outskirts," they were semi-free people who existed in some of the ancient Greek poleis. They also existed in Argos, Crete, and Thessaly, but it is said that there were about 100 such communities in Sparta in particular. The actual situation of the Spartan perioikoi is best understood, and most of them were Dorian, but some belonged to the eastern dialect group, and some Messenians also became this status during the process of annexing Messenia. They were official members of the Spartan state, but had no political rights. However, they were allowed to govern themselves within their communities. They were obligated to serve in the military, and in the classical period they made up the majority of Sparta's military forces. They mainly lived by agriculture, and there was a gap between rich and poor, as well as an aristocratic class. Sparta prohibited its citizens from commerce and industry, so commerce and industry activities became the work of the perioikoi, and in this respect too their existence was indispensable to Sparta.

[Masato Furuyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

「周辺に住む人々」の意で、古代ギリシアの一部のポリスに存在した半自由民。アルゴリス、クレタ、テッサリアにも存在したが、とくにスパルタにはその共同体が100ほどあったと伝えられる。スパルタのペリオイコイの実態がもっともよくわかり、彼らの多くはドーリス人であるが、一部東方方言群に属する人々もいて、メッセニア併合の過程でメッセニア人も一部この身分となった。彼らはスパルタの正式の国家構成員であったが、政治的権利はなかった。しかし彼らの共同体内の自治は許された。従軍義務を課せられ、古典期にはスパルタの兵力の大部分を占めた。生活は農業を主とし、貧富の差があり貴族的階層も存在した。スパルタは市民に商工業を禁じたので、商工業活動はもっぱらペリオイコイの仕事となり、この面でも彼らの存在はスパルタに不可欠であった。

［古山正人］

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