Housing the poor and the homeless in ancient Greece

In these two passages from the ancient sources, the father of Cynic philosophy is alternately admired and derided for making his home in a large storage jar. Since it is Diogenes' own deliberate choice to reject the creature comforts of materialism, Juvenal finds him noble. Lucian, on the other hand, in a tone more satirical than Juvenal himself, finds it ridiculous: Giving up the trappings of normal domestic life on the pretence that it will bring true fulfillment is pure nonsense. Nevertheless, Lucian's Diogenes does indicate three sorts of places where the homeless might be found dwelling, in tomb structures, abandoned buildings, or pots. In what follows I would like to consider the archaeological evidence, or apparent lack thereof, for lower class housing, as well as to explore alternative domestic and living arrangements. I will underscore what has been perceived as our limited ability to identify the poor and the homeless in the archaeological record, while at the same time emphasizing that these individuals were present throughout society and played significant roles in its overall landscape. Finally, I hope to clarify the semantics of "homelessness" in ancient Greece and will suggest a range of possible archaeological examples that I take to illustrate its varying states, from evidence for the dwellings of prostitutes to those needing temporary lodgings while traveling.