The Hellenistic Reception of Classical Athenian Democracy and Political Thought

In the Hellenistic period ( c. 323-31 BCE), Greek teachers, philosophers, historians, orators, and politicians found an essential point of reference in the democracy of Classical Athens and the political thought which it produced. However, while Athenian civic life and thought in the Classical period have been intensively studied, these aspects of the Hellenistic period have so far received much less attention. This volume seeks to bring together the two areas of research, shedding new light on these complementary parts of the history of the ancient Greek polis. The essays collected here encompass historical, philosophical, and literary approaches to the various Hellenistic responses to and adaptations of Classical Athenian politics. They survey the complex processes through which Athenian democratic ideals of equality, freedom, and civic virtue were emphasized, challenged, blunted, or reshaped in different Hellenistic contexts and genres. They also consider the reception, in the changed political circumstances, of Classical Athenian non- and anti-democratic political thought. This makes it possible to investigate how competing Classical Athenian ideas about the value or shortcomings of democracy and civic community continued to echo through new political debates in Hellenistic cities and schools. Looking ahead to the Roman Imperial period, the volume also explores to what extent those who idealized Classical Athens as a symbol of cultural and intellectual excellence drew on, or forgot, its legacy of democracy and vigorous political debate. By addressing these different questions it not only tracks changes in practices and conceptions of politics and the city in the Hellenistic world, but also examines developing approaches to culture, rhetoric, history, ethics, and philosophy, and especially their relationships with politics. Cover 1 The Hellenistic Reception of Classical Athenian Democracy and Political Thought 4 Copyright 5 Preface and Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 List of Abbreviations 10 List of Contributors 14 1: Introduction 16 1.1 Classical Athenian Politics as Cultural Memory and Political Resource in the Hellenistic World 16 1.2 The Structure of the Volume 20 1.2.1 Part I: The Reception of Classical Athens in the Early Hellenistic World 20 1.2.2 Part II: Changing Approaches to Classical Athenian Democracy and Political Thought from Polybius to Plutarch 23 1.3 Common Themes and Questions Raised by the Essays 26 1.3.1 Political Institutions, Hellenistic Democracy, and the Elites 26 1.3.2 Athenocentrism as a Focus of Hellenistic and Modern Debates 29 1.3.3 Political Thought, the Anti-Democratic Tradition, and Alternatives to Democracy 31 Part I: Early Hellenistic Responses to Classical Athenian Democracy and Political Thought 34 2: Stairway to Heaven: The Politics of Memory in Early Hellenistic Athens 36 2.1 Athenian Politics and the Past 36 2.2 The Chremonidean War, or, What ́s in a Name 37 2.3 The Decree of the Demagogues 42 2.4 From the Lamian War to the Chremonidean War 45 2.5 The Decree of Chremonides: Declaring War, between Past and Present 51 2.6 The End of an Age-in Some Sense 56 3: Alexander the Great and Democracy in the Hellenistic World 60 3.1 Introduction 60 3.2 Philip, Alexander, and the Cities of Mainland Greece 61 3.3 Philip, Alexander, and the Cities of Western Asia Minor 65 3.4 Alexander in Athens 67 3.4.1 Polyperchon and Athens, 319/8-318/7 67 3.4.2 Demetrius and Athens, 307/6 73 3.4.3 Demochares and Athens, 281/0 76 3.5 Alexander in Asia Minor 78 3.6 Alexander between City and King 85 4: Demosthenic Influences in Early Rhetorical Education: Hellenistic Rhetores and Athenian Imagination 88 4.1 Demosthenes ́ (Un)popularity in the Hellenistic Period 88 4.2 The Influence of Demosthenic Oratory and the Importance of Athenian Imagination 94 4.3 Conclusions 104 5: Sophists, Epicureans, and Stoics 108 5.1 Stoics on Sophistry and Education 110 5.2 Epicureans, Protagoras, and Sophistic 115 5.3 Many but One: Sophists on Justice 117 5.4 One and Many: Early Epicureans on Justice 119 6: Comedy and the Athenian Ideal 124 Part II: Later Hellenistic and Early Imperial Developments in the Reception of Classical Athenian Politics 136 7: Polybius on `Classical Athenian Imperial Democracy ́ 138 7.1 Δημοκρατία, Ὀχλοκρατία, and Athens in Book 6 140 7.2 Athens in Action: Athenian Diplomacy in the Historical Narrative 142 7.3 Polybius ́ Characterizations of Athens in Political Context 147 7.4 Conclusion 151 8: A Later Hellenistic Debate about the Value of Classical Athenian Civic Ideals?: The Evidence of Epigraphy, Historiography, and Philosophy 154 8.1 Introduction 154 8.2 Posidonius ́ Athenion: Radically Democratic Classicism 155 8.3 A Broader Later Hellenistic Reaction against Certain Classical Athenian Civic Ideals? 163 8.4 Traces of Later Hellenistic Advocacy of Classical Athenian Civic Ideals, beyond Posidonius ́ Athenion 169 8.4.1 Self-confident Later Hellenistic Democrats? 169 8.4.2 Traces of Later Hellenistic Assertion of Certain Classical Athenian Philosophical Ideals of Strong Civic Community 174 8.4.2.1 The Role of the Hellenistic Peripatetics 174 8.4.2.2 Posidonius ́ Athenion as a Peripatetic 183 8.5 Conclusion 187 9: Philanthropia, Athens, and Democracy in Diodorus Siculus: The Athenian Debate 192 9.1 Introduction 192 9.2 Framing the Athenian Debate 193 9.3 The Speech of Nicolaus 199 9.4 The Speech of Gylippus 211 9.5 Judging the Athenian Debate 216 10: Getting Over Athens: Re-Writing Hellenicity in the Early Roman History of Dionysius of Halicarnassus 224 10.1 Introduction 224 10.2 `The City with the Greatest Renown ́: The Ambiguities of `Hellenization ́ in Dionysius ́ Narrative 226 10.2.1 A Paradigm Made to Order: Athens in the Conflict between Rome and Alba 227 10.2.2 `No ́ to Athenian Democracy: The Debate about the Roman Republican Constitution 234 10.3 Leaving Athens Behind: Dionysius ́ `Pragmatic ́ Hellenism 242 11: Standing up to the Demos: Plutarch, Phocion, and the Democratic Life 252 11.1 Introduction 252 11.2 Plutarch and Athenian Democracy 254 11.3 Handling the Demos 260 11.4 Phocion the Good 263 11.5 Phocion and Socrates 267 11.6 Between the Demos and the Governor ́s Boots 271 12: The Orator in the Theatre: The End of Athenian Democracy in Plutarch ́s Phocion 276 13: Whatever Happened to Athens?: Thoughts on the Great Convergence and Beyond 292 13.1 The Hellenistic vs Athens 292 13.2 The Great Convergence 294 13.3 Athens and/in the Great Convergence 302 13.4 Beyond the Great Convergence: Classicism, Plutarch, Pausanias 306 13.5 Whatever Happened to Athens? Reception and Reflexivity 312 Bibliography 314 Index Locorum 350 Literary Sources 350 Inscriptions 363 Papyri 365 General Index 366 In The Hellenistic Period (c.323-31 Bce), Greek Teachers, Philosophers, Historians, Orators, And Politicians Found An Essential Point Of Reference In The Democracy Of Classical Athens And The Political Thought Which It Produced. However, While Athenian Civic Life And Thought In The Classical Period Have Been Intensively Studied, These Aspects Of The Hellenistic Period Have So Far Received Much Less Attention. This Volume Seeks To Bring Together The Two Areas Of Research, Shedding New Light On These Complementary Parts Of The History Of The Ancient Greek Polis.--back Cover. Edited By Mirko Canevaro And Benjamin Gray. The Volume Originated In A Conference On This Theme, Held At The School Of History, Classics, And Archaeology Of The University Of Edinburgh, Which Was The Classical Association Of Scotland Conference For 2013.--page V. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 299-333) And Index. The Hellenistic reception of Classical Athenian democracy and politics is comprehensively explored in this collection of essays, which span historical, philosophical, and literary approaches to the various ways in which Classical Athenian civic life and thought were emphasized, challenged, blunted, or reshaped in the Hellenistic world.