Hiketeia and asylia in ancient Greek mythical and political thought

This article, using as a starting point the concept of supplication and asylum seeking in archaic Greek thought, examines cases of supplication which either succeeded and therefore asylum was granted, or were rejected and the pleas for asylum failed. The article focuses on two cases from Greek Drama and one case from Attic Oratory and investigates the features of supplication, the terminology and the argumentation that was considered crucial in order for the supplication to be accepted while moving from the world of myth, drama and religion to the world of oratory, city states and civic identity.   Keywords: supplication; asylum; refugees; ancient Greece; drama; oratory; migration; suppliants; asylum-seekers; hospitality; guest-friendship;  xenia; reciprocity; Euripides; Aeschylus; Isocrates.