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 12
... poor' (penes) and 'without means' (aporos) in contrast to 'destitute' (ptochos), and the comments made on their audiences by the Athenian orators, in order to arrive at a more credible account of the men who participated in the assembly ...
... poor' (penes) and 'without means' (aporos) in contrast to 'destitute' (ptochos), and the comments made on their audiences by the Athenian orators, in order to arrive at a more credible account of the men who participated in the assembly ...
Page 16
... poor' men who needed to work and did work for their living, and that the payments fulfilled their intended function of enabling these men to devote some of their time to public service. The French scholar L. Gernet (1892–1962) was a ...
... poor' men who needed to work and did work for their living, and that the payments fulfilled their intended function of enabling these men to devote some of their time to public service. The French scholar L. Gernet (1892–1962) was a ...
Page 23
... poor families of the populus minutus ['insignificant citizenry'] feeling (or at least expressing to a citizen court) more in common with the values of rentier citizens than with those of the poorer metics whose life-style they shared ...
... poor families of the populus minutus ['insignificant citizenry'] feeling (or at least expressing to a citizen court) more in common with the values of rentier citizens than with those of the poorer metics whose life-style they shared ...
Page 28
... poor peasant being offered via the dowry a bribe to keep quiet, Theogenes because, though a poor man inexperienced in public affairs, he had suddenly become Basileus by the luck of the draw and needed a wife to perform the Basilinna's ...
... poor peasant being offered via the dowry a bribe to keep quiet, Theogenes because, though a poor man inexperienced in public affairs, he had suddenly become Basileus by the luck of the draw and needed a wife to perform the Basilinna's ...
Page 29
... poor man from beggar. Plot after plot is exploring this sensitive area and mediating a transition from one status to another – always, of course, in the fantasy, in an upwards direction. For example, the cardinal fact of Heros and ...
... poor man from beggar. Plot after plot is exploring this sensitive area and mediating a transition from one status to another – always, of course, in the fantasy, in an upwards direction. For example, the cardinal fact of Heros and ...
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