Athenian Democracy: A Sourcebook

Athenian Democracy: A Sourcebook PDF

Author: Luca Asmonti

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-12-18

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1441165312

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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.

Ancient Greek Democracy

Ancient Greek Democracy PDF

Author: Eric W. Robinson

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-04-15

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 047075219X

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This book invites readers to join in a fresh and extensive investigation of one of Ancient Greece’s greatest inventions: democratic government. Provides an accessible, up-to-date survey of vital issues in Greek democracy. Covers democracy’s origins, growth and essential nature. Raises questions of continuing interest. Combines ancient texts in translation and recent scholarly articles. Invites the reader into a process of historical investigation. Contains maps, a glossary and an index.

Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece

Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece PDF

Author: Kurt A. Raaflaub

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0520258096

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"A balanced, high-quality analysis of the developing nature of Athenian political society and its relationship to 'democracy' as a timeless concept."—Mark Munn, author of The School of History

Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece

Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece PDF

Author: Kurt A. Raaflaub

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2007-01-11

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0520245628

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This book presents a state-of-the-art debate about the origins of Athenian democracy by five eminent scholars. The result is a stimulating, critical exploration and interpretation of the extant evidence on this intriguing and important topic. The authors address such questions as: Why was democracy first realized in ancient Greece? Was democracy “invented” or did it evolve over a long period of time? What were the conditions for democracy, the social and political foundations that made this development possible? And what factors turned the possibility of democracy into necessity and reality? The authors first examine the conditions in early Greek society that encouraged equality and “people’s power.” They then scrutinize, in their social and political contexts, three crucial points in the evolution of democracy: the reforms connected with the names of Solon, Cleisthenes, and Ephialtes in the early and late sixth and mid-fifth century. Finally, an ancient historian and a political scientist review the arguments presented in the previous chapters and add their own perspectives, asking what lessons we can draw today from the ancient democratic experience. Designed for a general readership as well as students and scholars, the book intends to provoke discussion by presenting side by side the evidence and arguments that support various explanations of the origins of democracy, thus enabling readers to join in the debate and draw their own conclusions.

Athenian Democracy

Athenian Democracy PDF

Author: John Thorley

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2005-06-20

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 1134793359

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This pamphlet outlines the development and operation of Athenian democracy to the end of the fifth century BC. Separate sections examine the prelude to democracy, the emergence of a democratic system, and the way this system worked in practice. A final section focuses on the questions: how should we judge the success of Athenian democracy? who benefitted? was it an efficient system of government? in what sense was Athenian democracy the forerunner of modern democracies?

Athenian Democracy

Athenian Democracy PDF

Author: Robin Osborne

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-06-30

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 1009383396

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This volume in the LACTOR Sourcebooks in Ancient History series offers a generous selection of primary texts on Athenian democracy, which flourished in the fifth and fourth centuries BC, with an accompanying glossary and introductory notes. It provides for the needs of students at schools and universities who are studying ancient history in English translation and has been written and reviewed by experienced teachers. The texts selected include extracts from the important literary sources as well as some key inscriptions, some of which were previously difficult for students to access.

Pericles

Pericles PDF

Author: Hamish Aird

Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc

Published: 2003-12-15

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13: 9780823938285

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Describes the life and accomplishments of the Athenian leader who held power during the high point of Athenian civilization, and places him in the context of his times.

Democracy, Empire, and the Arts in Fifth-century Athens

Democracy, Empire, and the Arts in Fifth-century Athens PDF

Author: Deborah Dickmann Boedeker

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780674012585

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Athens in the fifth century B.C. offers a striking picture: the first democracy in history; the first empire created and ruled by a Greek city; and a flourishing of learning, philosophical thought, and visual and performing arts so rich as to leave a remarkable heritage for Western civilization. To what extent were these three parallel developments interrelated? An international group of fourteen scholars expert in different fields explores here the ways in which the fifth-century "cultural revolution" depended on Athenian democracy and the ways it was influenced by the fact that Athens was an imperial city. The authors bring to this analysis their individual areas of expertise--in the visual arts, poetry and drama, philosophy, archaeology, religion, and social, economic, and political history--and a variety of theoretical approaches. The product of a colloquium at Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C., Democracy, Empire, and the Arts in Fifth-Century Athens sheds new light on a much debated question that has wide implications. The book is illustrated and enriched by a comprehensive bibliography on the subject.

Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy

Pericles Of Athens And The Birth Of Democracy PDF

Author: Donald Kagan

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 0684863952

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"Kagan, faithful to his lifelong fascination with Pericles . . . gives us an accessible and invaluable account of his life and deeds".--Allan Bloom, author of "The Closing of the American Mind".

Democracy and Knowledge

Democracy and Knowledge PDF

Author: Josiah Ober

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2008-09-15

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 1400828805

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When does democracy work well, and why? Is democracy the best form of government? These questions are of supreme importance today as the United States seeks to promote its democratic values abroad. Democracy and Knowledge is the first book to look to ancient Athens to explain how and why directly democratic government by the people produces wealth, power, and security. Combining a history of Athens with contemporary theories of collective action and rational choice developed by economists and political scientists, Josiah Ober examines Athenian democracy's unique contribution to the ancient Greek city-state's remarkable success, and demonstrates the valuable lessons Athenian political practices hold for us today. He argues that the key to Athens's success lay in how the city-state managed and organized the aggregation and distribution of knowledge among its citizens. Ober explores the institutional contexts of democratic knowledge management, including the use of social networks for collecting information, publicity for building common knowledge, and open access for lowering transaction costs. He explains why a government's attempt to dam the flow of information makes democracy stumble. Democratic participation and deliberation consume state resources and social energy. Yet as Ober shows, the benefits of a well-designed democracy far outweigh its costs. Understanding how democracy can lead to prosperity and security is among the most pressing political challenges of modern times. Democracy and Knowledge reveals how ancient Greek politics can help us transcend the democratic dilemmas that confront the world today.