Private Associations or Public Bodies? The Gerousiai of the Greek Cities in the Imperial Period

Abstract

The article explores the position of the Gerousia in the associative universe of the Greek cities of the Imperial period. The first section examines the public dimen- sion of the Gerousia, as it emerges from its interaction with the civic institutions, the local notables and the imperial power. The second section focuses on the Gerousia’s sim- ilarities with private associations, both in their organizational form and in several of their activities, such as the protection of graves and the administration of funerary endowments. The third section draws a comparison between the public role of the Gerousia and that of private associations. Finally, the last section proposes a taxonomy of the various corporate bodies of the Greek polis in relation to their access to events, acts and symbols that expressed the sovereign power of the civic community and its collective identity. In these terms, the Gerousia occupied an impressively high position which brought her very close to the Council and the People.