Ancient Greek Democracies

Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-108-84454-3
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 238 Seiten

Reihe: Key Themes in Ancient History

Classical Athenian democracy is rightly famous but democracy flourished in other parts of the Greek world as well. In this clear and fascinating book, Matthew Simonton traces the emergence, growth, consolidation and decline of democratic city-states over the millennium down to the fifth century CE. He argues for the widespread and highly participatory nature of democratic constitutions across the Greek world, particularly in the fourth, third, and second centuries BCE. Readers will also learn to appreciate the characteristic ideological, institutional, and material-cultural features of democratic poleis. The evidence marshalled includes literary texts, inscriptions, coins, archaeological remains, and monumental art. The book does not shy away from the fact that ancient Greek democracies both empowered lower-class men but also rested on a series of exclusions (of women, enslaved people, and foreigners). Nevertheless, demokratia emerges as a major facet of ancient Greek culture and society.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Simonton, Matthew

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. From Eunomia to Demokratia, 510–451/0 BCE; 2. A Contested Existence, 451/0–362 BCE; 3. The Heyday of Ancient Greek Democracies, 362–146 BCE; 4. (D)evolutions of Democracy, 146 BCE to Late Antiquity; Appendix. Instances of 'Democracy' on Stone.

Über Autor(innen)

Simonton, Matthew
Matthew Simonton is Associate Professor of Classics at Princeton University, having previously worked at Arizona State University. His first book, Classical Greek Oligarchy: A Political History (2017), received the 2018 Runciman Award from the Anglo-Hellenic League. He is currently at work on a political and culture history of ancient Greek demagoguery.