Isos kai Homoios in Greek Citizenship

This article investigates the semantic and institutional meaning of the Greek expression isos kai homoios and its idiomatic form ep’isēi kai homoiēi. Widely used in various contexts, isos kai homoios features prominently in situations where a polis was dealing with justice and the inclusion of new citizens. The adjective isos, equal in measure, proclaimed equality in the law for all citizens, while homoios, of the same kind or form, allowed for diversity among them. While isos kai homoios applied to the same object meant ‘equal in every respect’, in the context of citizenship homoios gave room for growing divergence in prerogatives and honours. Although a generally valid concept, isos kai homoios applied in actual citizenship grants was a regional feature, mainly of south-west Asia Minor.