Gentrifying geneology : on the genesis of the Athenian autochthony myth

Abstract

Autochthony myths served the creation of an identity that was culturally and politically meaningful to the people. Since the 430s the Athenians have brought the message of their autochthony across with a confidence and insistence that seem more than average. Around a decade after Pericles' Citizenship Law, the first indications emerge that the Athenians claimed to be 'autochthones'. A century after Pericles' Citizenship Law, being an exclusive elite had become a quality of all citizens of Athens.