ABSTRACT
The apetairoi were a class of free men with a status markedly superior to that of the serfs, but equally inferior to that of the free citizen class. They were free in the sense that they were neither bonded nor enslaved. As their name implies, they were excluded from the hetaireiai and consequently were deprived of the full political rights enjoyed by the citizen body. The metics came under the jurisdiction of the special courts for foreigners, an official who is often named in Gortynian inscriptions. From one of these, people can infer that freedmen were classed with metics, perhaps because of the artisan status of both. In attempting to assess the status of dwellers in Latosion, it is useful to bear in mind Aristotle's statement that craftsmen, meaning free artisans, are in a condition of limited slavery.
