Athenian Democracy - (Bloomsbury Sources in Ancient History) Annotated by Luca Asmonti (Paperback)

About the Book

An unrivalled collection of source material, often unavailable in translation, on the history and philosophy of the world's first democracy.

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"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." --School of Classics, University College Dublin, Ireland

About the Author

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.