Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

6'20 HOSPITIUM. JIOSPITIUM.
tomary among ourselves, and was chieflyr shown that at Athens the family'of Callias were the prytowards friends or persons of distinction and merit, xeni of Sparta (Xen. Hellen. v. 4. ~ 22, vi. 3. ~ 4,
whose presence was an honoar to the house wherein &c.); at Elis, the Elean Xenias (Paus. iii. 8. ~ 2);
they stayed. (Xen. Oecon. 2. 5; Plato, Protage. and at Argos, the Argive Alciphron. (Thucyd. v.
p. 315; Becker, Clsarikles, vol. i. p. 134.) In the 59.) A Spartan sent out as proxenus was somehouses of the wealthier Greeks a separate part (hos- times also entrusted with the power of harmostes,
pitiumn or lIospitalia and Sevsves) with a separate as Clearchus at Byzantium. (Xen. Hellen. i. 1. ~
entrance, was destined for the reception and habi- 35, i. 3. ~ 15.)
tation of strangers, and was provided with all the The custom of conferring the honour of proxenus
necessary comforts for the temporary occupants. upon a citizen of the state with which public hospiOn the first dayafter their arrival they were gene- tality existed, seems in later times to have been
rally invited to the table of their host; but after- universally adopted by the Greeks. Thus we find
wards their provisions (SEla), consisting of fowl, besides the instances of Spartan proxeni mentioned
eggs, and fruit, were either sent to them, or they above, Nicias the Athenian, as proxenus of Syrahad to purchase them themselves. (Vitruv. vi. 7. cuse at Athens (Diodor. xiii. 27), and Arthmius,
4; Apul. Metam. ii. p. 19.) of Zeleia, as the proxenus of Athens at Zeleia.
What has been said hitherto, only refers to hos- (Aeschin. c. CtesipAh. p. 647: compare Plato, de
pitium privatum, that is, the hospitality existing Leg. i. p. 642.) The common mode of appointing
between two individuals or families of different a proxenus was, with the exception of Sparta, by
states. Of far greater importance, however, was show of hands. (Ulpian, ad Denostl. Mid. p. 374.)
the hospitiim publicum (srpoeSlMa, sometimes The principal duties of a proxenus were to receive
simply ~Evla), or public hospitality which existed those persons, especially ambassadors, who came
between two states, or between an individual or a from the state which he represented; to procure for
fa-tmily on the one hand, and a whole state on the them the admission to the assembly, and seats in
other. Of the latter kind of public hospitality the theatre (Pollux, 1. c.); to act as the patron of
n-many instances are recorded, such as that between the strangers, and to mediate between the two
the Peisistratids and Sparta, in which the people states if any disputes arose. (Xen. IHelen. vi. 3. ~
of Athens had no share. The hospitium publicum 4.) If a stranger died in the state, the proxenus
among the Greeks arose undoubtedly from the hos- of his country had to take care of the property of
pitium privatum, and it may have originated in two the deceased. (Demosth. c. Callip. p. 1237, &c.)
ways. When the Greek tribes were governed by Regarding the honoirs and privileges which a
chieftains or kings, the private hospitality existing proxenus enjoyed front the state which he reprebetween the ruling families of two tribes may have sented, the various Greek states followed different
produced similar relations between their subjects, principles: some honoured their proxenus with the
which after the abolition of the kingly power, con- full civic franchise, and other distinctions besides.
tinued to exist between the new republics as a (Bbckh, Co7p. Inscriplt. n. 1691-93, and ii. p. 79;
kind of political inheritance of former times. Or a Demosth. de Cos. p. 256; Xen. Hellen. i. 1. ~ 26.)
person belonging to one state might have either But the right of acquiring property in the state of
extensive connections with the citizens of another which he thus became a citizen seems not to have
state, or entertain great partiality for the other beenincluded inhisprivileges;for we find thatwhere
state itself, and thus offer to receive all those who this right was granlted, it was done by an especial
came from that state either on private or public documest. (Bhckh, Publ. Econ.p. 140.) A foreigner
business, and act as their patron in his own who was appointed in his own country as proxenus
city. This he at first did merely as a private in- of Athens, enjoyed for his own person the right of
dividual, but the state to which he offered tlis kind hospitality at Athens whenever he visited this
service would naturally soon recognise and reward city, and all the other privileges that a foreigner
him for it. When two states established public could possess without becoming a real Athenian
hospitality, and no individuals came forward to citizen. Among these privileges, though they were
act as the representatives of their state, it was ne- not necessarily included in the proxeny, but were
cessary that in each state persons should be ap- granted by special decrees, we may mention, 1.
pointed to show hospitality to, and watch over the'EWrlyaain, which, in cases when it was granted
interests of, all persons who came from the state by the more powerful state, generally became muconnected by hospitality. The persons who were tual (Platner's Process, ii. p. 73; Xen. tlellen. v. 2.
appointed to this office as the recognised agents of ~ 19); 2. The right to acquire property at Athens
the state for which they acted were called wrpd- (E"/KTrs-ois, gfirao-t, e`r7raots); 3. The exempti n
seoL, but those who undertook it voluntarily eOeXo - frorn paying taxes (ar/Aseia or &TrsELa ds7ravrCO,,rpdeVoI. (Pollux, iii. 59; compare Tltuicyd. ii. 29 Demosth. e. Leltin. p. 475, compare p. 498); and
with Arnold's note, and iii. 70 with Gller's.) 4. Inviolability in times of peace and war, both by
The office of proxenus, which bears great re- sea and by land. (Biickh, Corp. Inscrip. i. p. 725.)
semblance to that of a modern consul or minister- Some of these privileges were granted to indiviresident, was in some cases hereditary in a parti- duals as well as to whole states; but we have no
cular family. When a state appointed a proxenus, instance of a whole state having received all of them,
it either sent out one of its own citizens to reside with the exception of those cases where the civic
in the other state, or it selected one of the citizens franchise or isopolity was granted to a whole state;
of this state, and conferred upon him the honour of and in this case the practical consequences could
proxsenus. The former was, in early times, the not become manifest, unless a citizen of the pricustom of Sparta, where the kings had the right to vileged state actually took up his residence at
select from among the Spartan citizens those whom Athens. (Compare F. W. Ulhrich, de Proxe2nia,
they wished to send out as proxeni to other states. Berlin, 1822; Wachsnmuth, Hellen. Alterth. vol. i.
(Herod. vi. 57.) But in subsequent times this p. 168, &c.; Hermann, Polit. Ant. ~ 116.)
custom seemis to halve been given uip, for we find i2. ROcATNx. The hospitality of thle Romians was,