Why Citizenship? Stories from Athens and Rome
June 2017 to May 2018
While it might appear that citizenship in the ancient world was a simple and straightforward concept, not everyone thought about citizenship in the same way. In Classical Athens entry into the citizen body was closely controlled, determined by gender, birth and ancestry, while in Rome, people of both free and freed status came to enjoy at least basic citizen rights over time.
Why Citizenship? explores the stories of ancient people from a wide variety of backgrounds and asks why citizenship mattered to them. It also invites visitors to consider concepts of citizenship, and to reflect upon issues of gender, sexuality, politics, race and social status in the modern day.
Curated by Dr Janette McWilliam and Mr James Donaldson
