The Athenian Experiment

The Athenian Experiment
Author: Greg Anderson
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2003
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780472113200

This book rewrites the political and public history of Athens

Polis and Revolution

Polis and Revolution
Author: Julia L. Shear
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2011-04-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0521760445

This book explores how democracy in Athens was recreated and the city rebuilt following the oligarchic revolutions of the fifth century BC.

Athens on Trial

Athens on Trial
Author: Jennifer T. Roberts
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2011-10-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 1400821320

The Classical Athenians were the first to articulate and implement the notion that ordinary citizens of no particular affluence or education could make responsible political decisions. For this reason, reactions to Athenian democracy have long provided a prime Rorschach test for political thought. Whether praising Athens's government as the legitimizing ancestor of modern democracies or condemning it as mob rule, commentators throughout history have revealed much about their own notions of politics and society. In this book, Jennifer Roberts charts responses to Athenian democracy from Athens itself through the twentieth century, exploring a debate that touches upon historiography, ethics, political science, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, gender studies, and educational theory.

The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny of Asia

The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny of Asia
Author: Mark H. Munn
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 478
Release: 2006-07-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0520243498

Among maternal deities of the Greek pantheon, the Mother of the Gods was a paradox. Conflict and resolution were played out symbolically, Munn shows, and the goddess of Lydian tyranny was eventually accepted by the Athenians as the Mother of the Gods and a symbol of their own sovereignty.

Imperial Projections

Imperial Projections
Author: Sandra R. Joshel
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2005-09-13
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9780801882685

, Martin M. Winkler, and Maria Wyke--Peter Bondanella, Indiana University "Classical Outlook"

Intellectual Experiments of the Greek Enlightenment

Intellectual Experiments of the Greek Enlightenment
Author: Friedrich Solmsen
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2015-03-08
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1400871204

Generally known for its advanced, often radical suggestions of reform in politics, religion, morality, and human behavior, the Greek Enlightenment has long been studied in terms of its doctrines and theories. To understand the environment in which the new ideas flourished and their impact, Friedrich Solmsen explores the novel intellectual methods that developed during the period. A variety of new modes of thought was introduced at this time or, if known before, was applied with delight in experimentation. Among those that Friedrich Solmsen examines are new methods of argumentation: persuasion aimed at the control of man's emotions; Utopian speculation; experiments with language; and the emergence of a secular psychology and its use in the reconstruction of human motives and historical events. Concentrating on the work of nonphilosophical authors such as the historian Thucydides and the tragedian Euripides, the author presents a portrait of a restless and spirited age engaged in an adventure of reason. Originally published in 1975. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece

Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece
Author: Kurt A. Raaflaub
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN: 0520258096

"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

Thucydides and the Ancient Simplicity

Thucydides and the Ancient Simplicity
Author: Gregory Crane
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 461
Release: 2023-12-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0520918746

Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War is the earliest surviving realist text in the European tradition. As an account of the Peloponnesian War, it is famous both as an analysis of power politics and as a classic of political realism. From the opening speeches, Thucydides' Athenians emerge as a new and frightening source of power, motivated by self-interest and oblivious to the rules and shared values under which the Greeks had operated for centuries. Gregory Crane demonstrates how Thucydides' history brilliantly analyzes both the power and the dramatic weaknesses of realist thought. The tragedy of Thucydides' history emerges from the ultimate failure of the Athenian project. The new morality of the imperialists proved as conflicted as the old; history shows that their values were unstable and self-destructive. Thucydides' history ends with the recounting of an intellectual stalemate that, a century later, motivated Plato's greatest work. Thucydides and the Ancient Simplicity includes a thought-provoking discussion questioning currently held ideas of political realism and its limits. Crane's sophisticated claim for the continuing usefulness of the political examples of the classical past will appeal to anyone interested in the conflict between the exercise of political power and the preservation of human freedom and dignity.

Athenian Political Thought and the Reconstitution of American Democracy

Athenian Political Thought and the Reconstitution of American Democracy
Author: J. Peter Euben
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2018-07-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1501723995

In the contemporary United States the image and experience of Athenian democracy has been appropriated to justify a profoundly conservative political and educational agenda. Such is the conviction expressed in this provocative book, which is certain to arouse widespread comment and discussion. What does it mean to be a citizen in a democracy? Indeed, how do we educate for democracy? These questions are addressed here by thirteen historians, classicists, and political theorists, who critically examine ancient Greek history and institutions, texts, and ideas in light of today's political practices and values. They do not idealize ancient Greek democracy. Rather, they use it, with all its faults, as a basis for measuring the strengths and shortcomings of American democracy. In the hands of the authors, ancient Greek sources become partners in an educational dialogue about democracy's past, one that goads us to think about the limitations of democracy's present and to imagine enriched possibilities for its future. The authors are diverse in their opinions and in their political and moral commitments. But they share the view that insulating American democracy from radical criticism encourages a dangerous complacency that Athenian political thought can disrupt.