Schiavi pubblici ad Atene. Per una discussione sul rapporto fra amministrazione e politica

Is it true that in the Greek polis public slaves, or dēmosioi, are entrusted with “bureaucratic” functions because these functions are not part of politics as conceived of by the ancient Greeks? This article examines this idea, stresses the fact that public slaves are a product of circumstances (rich social contexts) rather than being the hypostasis of the non-citizen, and explores the grey area between slaves and free people in democratic Athens. In a context in which slaves often do the same things as free men, it is questionable whether the actions of the public slaves should be viewed as qualitatively different from those of the citizens.