Priests in Roman Greece. In search of a social perspective

The aim of this paper is to analyse the social status of religious functionaries in Greece during the Roman period. Priests’ socio-economic condition had already increased in Greek cities by the late Hellenistic period. This is reflected in the public image conveyed by honorary inscriptions for religious functionaries which mention their qualities and acts of euergetism. The epigraphic evidence from the cities of Roman Greece shows that both priests and the other civic functionaries belonged to the same high socio-economic milieu. With a few exceptions priestly offices do not seem to have functioned as a privileged access route to the ruling political elite, since the most prestigious priesthoods were usually reserved for individuals who already belonged to the upper strata of society. In Roman Greece, access to public priesthoods is primarily an expression of intra-elite mobility.