Introduction: theoretical considerations

Abstract

Moses Finley and the dismissal of class into castes and estates means that economic elements are inextricably joined to political and religious factors; that economic and legal categories are objectively and substantively so interwoven as to be inseparable .’ In short, from neither a Marxist nor a non-Marxist standpoint is class a sufficiently demarcated category for our purposes. (Finley 1973 a: 50 ; Luk´acs 1971 : 55 – 59 , Finley’s emphasis)