Salamis: An Archaeology of the Athenian Cleruchic System

Through an investigation on the creation of the Athenian cleruchy in Salamis at the end of the Archaic period, this article provides an 'archaeology' of the cleruchic system. It starts from an analysis of the late Archaic inscription that stipulates the regulations applying to the holders of cleruchic land. Then, after a short reanalysis of the war between Athens and Megara over the possession of Salamis, it moves on to the question of the origin of the genos of the Salaminioi, for which it provides a new solution that is linked to the circumstances of the creation of the cleruchic settlement in Salamis. The article concludes by examining the structural and defining conditions of the creation of a cleruchy.