The Athenian Agora : results of excavations / 16 Inscriptions: the decrees

Edited texts, with extensive commentary, of some 344 fragments of Attic decrees dating from the mid-5th century B.C. to A.D. 203, found in excavations of the Athenian Agora before 1967, with brief notes on additional material found up to 1975. Well-documented discussions of individual archon years are supplied at the appropriate points in the chronological arrangement. In a field known for controversy, the author reviews the principal readings, restorations, and interpretations, achieving a balance between extreme positions. A huge work concerned with the decrees of the Athenian body politic other than those dealing with councillors and their officers found in the Agora between 1931 and 1967. The material dates from the fifth century BC to the second century AD when Athens was part of the Roman Empire. It is divided into chronological sections of which by far the most substantial are those covering the fourth and third centuries BC when the Athenian system of government was in theory at its most democratic and the machinery of administration was in its most developed form. The decrees, although mainly fragmented, contain a wealth of fascinating information on foreign relations, political offices, citizenship, festivals and many other subjects. The texts are reproduced with discussion about their date and interpretation.