108 Greeks executed for abusing the welfare system

Thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece, it was a commonly held belief that the gods walked the earth among us humans.

And that perhaps even Zeus himself might show up at your doorstep disguised as a vagabond.

From this sprang the legendary sense of Greek hospitality, known as ‘xenia’.

It meant that a complete stranger could walk into your home unannounced, and you had an obligation as the host to take care of him.

To feed him. To house him. To bathe him. To let him freeload for as long as he needed.

And since no Greek was willing to risk the wrath of the gods by being a bad host, xenia was one of their most important customs.

Homer tells us of one famous instance of xenia in his epic poem The Odyssey.

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