Athenian DemocracyP. J. Rhodes Edinburgh University Press, 2019 M08 7 - 304 pages Athens' democracy developed during the sixth and fifth centuries and continued into the fourth; Athens' defeat by Macedon in 322 began a series of alternations between democracy and oligarchy. The democracy was inseparably bound up with the ideals of liberty and equality, the rule of law, and the direct government of the people by the people. Liberty meant above all freedom of speech, the right to be heard in the public assembly and the right to speak one's mind in private. Equality meant the equal right of the male citizens (perhaps 60,000 in the fifth century, 30,000 in the fourth) to participate in the government of the state and the administration of the law. Disapproved of as mob rule until the nineteenth century, the institutions of Athenian democracy have become an inspiration for modern democratic politics and political philosophy. P. J. Rhodes's reader focuses on the political institutions, political activity, history, and nature of Athenian democracy and introduces some of the best British, American, German and French scholarship on its origins, theory and practice. Part I is devoted to political institutions: citizenship, the assembly, the law-courts, and capital punishment. Part II explores aspects of political activity: the demagogues and their relationship with the assembly, the manoeuvrings of the politicians, competitive festivals, and the separation of public from private life. Part III looks at three crucial points in the development of the democracy: the reforms of Solon, Cleisthenes and Ephialtes. Part IV considers what it was in Greek life that led to the development of democracy. Some of the authors adopt broad-brush approaches to major questions; others analyse a particular body of evidence in detail. Use is made of archaeology, comparison with other societies, the location of festivals in their civic context, and the need to penetrate behind what the classical Athenians made of their past. |
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Page 2
... later, in 462/1, Ephialtes transferred from the council of the Areopagus (a body comprising former holders of the office of archon, earlier the most important office in Athens but now being eclipsed by the office of strategos, general) ...
... later, in 462/1, Ephialtes transferred from the council of the Areopagus (a body comprising former holders of the office of archon, earlier the most important office in Athens but now being eclipsed by the office of strategos, general) ...
Page 11
... later, and in the case of Solon, while we have some passages from his own poetry, we know that in the fourth century the orators were prepared to attribute to him laws which were demonstrably much more recent. Doubts about Solon's ...
... later, and in the case of Solon, while we have some passages from his own poetry, we know that in the fourth century the orators were prepared to attribute to him laws which were demonstrably much more recent. Doubts about Solon's ...
Page 16
... later part of his career at the University of New England, in Australia. Earlier he studied in Oxford under G. E. M. de Ste Croix, one of whose academic passions was The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World, and for a volume in ...
... later part of his career at the University of New England, in Australia. Earlier he studied in Oxford under G. E. M. de Ste Croix, one of whose academic passions was The Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World, and for a volume in ...
Page 25
... later Athenians came all to share a cult whose very name as well as underlying myth reflected descent as the dominating definition of the community. Descent, then, is built into the institutions of the state. Yet, paradoxically, just ...
... later Athenians came all to share a cult whose very name as well as underlying myth reflected descent as the dominating definition of the community. Descent, then, is built into the institutions of the state. Yet, paradoxically, just ...
Page 31
... later adaptation of Wortlaut [the wording] to meet changed conditions but with a law which had been totally superseded and was capable of causing 'surprise' to Plutarch or his source. Tentatively, I take the law as genuine. The case ...
... later adaptation of Wortlaut [the wording] to meet changed conditions but with a law which had been totally superseded and was capable of causing 'surprise' to Plutarch or his source. Tentatively, I take the law as genuine. The case ...
Contents
1 | |
13 | |
PART II POLITICAL ACTIVITY | 159 |
PART III MOMENTS IN HISTORY | 237 |
PART IV A VIEW OF DEMOCRACY | 325 |
Intellectual Chronology | 349 |
Bibliography | 352 |
Index | 356 |
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Common terms and phrases
activity actual allotment ancient archon argues Aristotle assembly Athenian Athens attempt barley called citizens classical Cleisthenes competition Constitution Council count courts decision deme democracy democratic demos Demosthenes dikasts discussion doubt eisangelia evidence example fact festival fifth century five four fourth century give given Greek hands Hesperia Hundred IG ii2 important individual institutions interest jury kind kleroteria later leaders least less lines majority means officials originally Oxford particular perhaps period person Plut political poor possible practice present probably problem procedure proposal punishment question reason references reforms regard remained Rhodes rooms says seems Solon sources speech suggests taken tickets tribe University vote whole