POWER, POSITION, AND PRACTICE. MILESIAN ELITES ON THE MOVE
POWER, POSITION, AND PRACTICE. MILESIAN ELITES ON THE MOVE

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the migration of elite groups from Miletos in the Archaic and early Classical periods, exploring the ways in which social positions, position‑practices, and migrant capital functioned as structuring mechanisms and resources within both emigrant and immigrant contexts. Through an analysis of the roles of status, kinship, and economic networks, this article high‑lights the ways in which elites navigated displacement, leveraging their access to material and symbolic resources to facilitate movement and maintain social standing. A particular focus is placed on the institution of exile, both as a punitive measure and as a strategic mechanism within intra‑elite competition. By tracing the trajectories of elite Milesians, their embeddedness within broader Mediterranean networks, and their role in the establishment and development of immigrant settlements, this study aims to deepen our understanding of migration as both a structurally conditioned and agent‑driven phenomenon. The examination of elite position‑practices, such as symposiastic culture, funerary display, and patron‑client relationships, reveals how migration was not simply a matter of movement but also of the reproduction and renegotiation of status in new environments. In doing so, this study contributes to ongoing debates on social mobility, the agency‑structure dialectic, and the intersection of political upheaval and migration in the ancient Greek world.

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