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In ancient Greece Epigamia (Greek language: ?p??aµ?a), designated the legal right to contract a marriage. In particular it strongly regulated the right of intermarrying between different states. Traditionally, intermarriage between different states was not allowed, and only a special authorization (a decree of the popular assembly) could permit it.

In the case of Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, even resident aliens (metoecci) did not have this right to marry Athenians.

Epigamia was also a way of formalizing the relationship between different nations.






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In ancient Greece Epigamia (Greek language: ?p??aµ?a), designated the legal right to contract a marriage. In particular it strongly regulated the right of intermarrying between different states. Traditionally, intermarriage between different states was not allowed, and only a special authorization (a decree of the popular assembly) could permit it.

In the case of Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, even resident aliens (metoecci) did not have this right to marry Athenians.

Epigamia was also a way of formalizing the relationship between different nations. Typically, an epigamia agreement would allow the adoption of the nationality of the country of residence, for the spouse as well as children. For example, Athens granted epigamia to Euboa
Evia

Evia is a Spanish people family name one branch of which was prominent in the politics and culture of Yucat?n:* Edgar de EviaEvia as used in company names:...
 in the 5th century, a very rare case.

Some cases are known (especially through Plutarch), in which epigamia was denied between two villages of Attica
Attica

Attica is a Peripheries of Greece in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece. Attica is subdivided into the prefectures of Greece of Athens Prefecture, Piraeus Prefecture, East Attica and West Attica....
, Pallene
Pallini

Pallini or Palini , ancient form and Latin: Pallene, is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. It is located east of Athens, midway between it and the Petalies Gulf....
 and Hagnous, presumably because alliances would have been akin to endogamy.

In 303 BCE, Seleucus I led an army to the Indus in India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, where he encountered Chandragupta. The confrontation ended with a peace treaty, and "an intermarriage agreement" (Epigamia, Greek: ?p??aµ?a), meaning either a dynastic marriage or a more general agreement for intermarriage between Indians and Greeks. Accordingly, Seleucus ceded to Chandragupta his northwestern territories as far as Arachosia
Arachosia

Arachosia or Arachotae is the latinized form of Greek language name of an Achaemenid Empire and Seleucid Empire governorate in the eastern part of their respective empires, and that was inhabited by the Iranian peoples Arachosians or Arachoti ....
 and received 500 war elephants (which played a key role in the victory of Seleucus at the Battle of Ipsus
Battle of Ipsus

The Battle of Ipsus was fought between some of the Diadochi in 301 BC near the village of that name in Phrygia. Antigonus I Monophthalmus and his son Demetrius I of Macedon were pitted against the coalition of three other companions of Alexander: Cassander, ruler of Macedon; Lysimachus, ruler of Thrace; and Seleucus I Nicator, ruler of Babyl...
):

"The Indians occupy [in part] some of the countries situated along the Indus, which formerly belonged to the Persians: Alexander deprived the Ariani of them, and established there settlements of his own. But Seleucus Nicator gave them to Sandrocottus in consequence of a marriage contract, and received in return five hundred elephants." Strabo
Strabo

Strabo was a Ancient Greeks history, geography and philosophy....
 15.2.9