Overview

This volume presents a wide range of literary and epigraphic sources on the history of the world's first democracy, offering a comprehensive survey of the key themes and principles of Athenian democratic culture. Beginning with the mythical origins of Athenian democracy under Theseus and describing the historical development of Athens' democratic institutions through Solon's reforms to the birth of democracy under Cleisthenes, the book addresses the wider cultural and social repercussions of the democratic system, concluding with a survey of Athenian democracy in the Hellenistic and Roman age. All sources are presented in translation with full annotation and commentary and each chapter opens with an introduction to provide background and direction for readers. Sources include material by Aristotle, Homer, Aristophanes, Herodotus, Thucydides, Cicero, Tacitus and many others. The volume also includes an A-Z of key terms, an annotated bibliography with suggestions for further reading in the primary sources as well as modern critical works on Athenian democracy, and a full index.

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9781441113719

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Reviews

This is a very valuable and comprehensive collection of sources for the study of the Athenian democracy. It will be of great appeal not only to students of ancient history, but also to students of political ideas. Luca Asmonti provides clear guidance on how to use the evidence, and shows us not only how the Athenian democracy came into being, and how it actually worked, but also what the people who experienced it thought about it. There is no other serious book available that does this. -- Hugh Bowden, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, King's College London, UK Classical Athens' great experiment with democracy has lost none of its fascination across the last two and a half millennia. With lively and fresh translations, Dr Asmonti makes accessible a diversity of material, from literary to epigraphic, through which the complexities of that democracy - its evolution, its character and its integral relationship to Athenian culture, identity and history - are illuminated. This collection offers undergraduate students an invaluable introduction to one of the ancient world's most challenging achievements. -- Lara O'Sullivan, Lecturer in Classics & Ancient History, The University of Western Australia, Australia All readers interested in the story of Athenian Democracy will find Luca Asmonti's sourcebook accessible and extremely useful. The scope of the translated ancient sources included in the volume and their variety provide both an excellent introduction to a study of this unique form of government, and the materials for a well informed discussion of its historical importance and heritage. Contemporary debates on the nature of the political system, political activity or collective decision making are reflected in the selection and division of the sources. The book is thus relevant not only for students of ancient history, but also for a much wider audience -- Eran Almagor, Lecturer in History at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel An excellent sourcebook that will be welcomed with great enthusiasm by teachers and students of Athenian democracy in particular and Greek history in general. This unrivalled collection of key passages from the Greek historians, poets, orators and philosophers, supplemented by a selection of original laws and decrees, reveals how Athenian democracy really worked. The user-friendly format makes this book ideal for use in big lecture halls, small discussion groups, or for individual research. Each group of sources is prefaced by an excellent introduction that sets them in their historical and political contexts, drawing attention to key themes and controversies. The extensive bibliographies that accompany each chapter encourage further exploration of the issues raised by the sources and help to make this a fantastic resource. -- Philip de Souza, School of Classics, University College Dublin

Classical Athens' great experiment with democracy has lost none of its fascination across the last two and a half millennia. With lively and fresh translations, Dr Asmonti makes accessible a diversity of material, from literary to epigraphic, through which the complexities of that democracy - its evolution, its character and its integral relationship to Athenian culture, identity and history - are illuminated. This collection offers undergraduate students an invaluable introduction to one of the ancient world's most challenging achievements. -- Lara O'Sullivan, Lecturer in Classics & Ancient History, The University of Western Australia, Australia All readers interested in the story of Athenian Democracy will find Luca Asmonti's sourcebook accessible and extremely useful. The scope of the translated ancient sources included in the volume and their variety provide both an excellent introduction to a study of this unique form of government, and the materials for a well informed discussion of its historical importance and heritage. Contemporary debates on the nature of the political system, political activity or collective decision making are reflected in the selection and division of the sources. The book is thus relevant not only for students of ancient history, but also for a much wider audience -- Eran Almagor, Lecturer in History at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel An excellent sourcebook that will be welcomed with great enthusiasm by teachers and students of Athenian democracy in particular and Greek history in general. This unrivalled collection of key passages from the Greek historians, poets, orators and philosophers, supplemented by a selection of original laws and decrees, reveals how Athenian democracy really worked. The user-friendly format makes this book ideal for use in big lecture halls, small discussion groups, or for individual research. Each group of sources is prefaced by an excellent introduction that sets them in their historical and political contexts, drawing attention to key themes and controversies. The extensive bibliographies that accompany each chapter encourage further exploration of the issues raised by the sources and help to make this a fantastic resource. -- Philip de Souza, School of Classics, University College Dublin

Author Information

Luca Asmonti currently lectures at the University of Queensland, Australia. His research interests include Athenian democracy between the fifth and fourth centuries BC; Greek-Persian relations in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War; and political oratory in Athens.

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