The Limits of Altruism in Democratic Athens

Athenians in the classical period (508-322 BC) were drawn to an image of themselves as a compassionate and generous people who rushed to the aid of others in distress, both at home and abroad. What relation does this image bear to actual Athenian behavior? This book argues that Athenians felt little pressure as individuals to help fellow citizens whom they did not know. Democratic ideology called on citizens to refrain from harming one another rather than to engage in mutual support, and emphasized the importance of the helping relationship between citizen and city rather than among individual citizens. If the obligation of Athenians to help fellow citizens was fairly tenuous, all the more so was their responsibility to intervene to assist the peoples of other states; a distinct pragmatism prevailed in the city's decisions concerning intervention abroad. "This book argues that, contrary to how Athenians idealized themselves, they felt little pressure as individuals to help fellow citizens and did not feel strongly obliged as a group to help peoples of other states"-- "The Philanthropic Athenian? Athenians in the classical period (508-322 BC) were drawn to an image of themselves as a compassionate and generous people, who rushed to the aid of others in distress at home and abroad. Litigants in the popular courts appeal to this ideal when they call upon large panels of jurors collectively to intervene and help them against their unjust opponents with a favorable verdict. Speakers delivering funeral orations for the state's war dead portray Athenians as valiant rescuers of their Greek neighbors from mythical times on. Tragedians bring on stage mythical instances of Athenians helping desperate suppliants from other states. Orators addressing the Assembly sometimes invoke this tradition of helping others when urging their audiences to vote in favor of intervention abroad. In light of how prominently this heroic image of Athenians as noble helpers figures in public discourse, we can have little doubt that this was a central element of civic ideology. It is reasonable to ask, however, what relation this image bears to actual Athenian behavior at home and abroad and to what extent it simplifies or distorts Athenian attitudes toward helping others. This study focuses on how helping figured in Athenians' relations with their fellow citizens, their city, and other Greek city-states rather than on the role of helping in the more intimate relationships of family members and friends. The latter subject has drawn considerable scholarly attention in recent decades in work on the Athenian family and friendship, and there is a general consensus that Athenians, like other Greeks, were under strong pressure to help their family members and friends"-- "This book argues that, contrary to how Athenians idealized themselves, they felt little pressure as individuals to help fellow citizens and did not feel strongly obliged as a group to help peoples of other states"--Provided by publisher. -- "The Philanthropic Athenian? Athenians in the classical period (508-322 BC) were drawn to an image of themselves as a compassionate and generous people, who rushed to the aid of others in distress at home and abroad. Litigants in the popular courts appeal to this ideal when they call upon large panels of jurors collectively to intervene and help them against their unjust opponents with a favorable verdict. Speakers delivering funeral orations for the state's war dead portray Athenians as valiant rescuers of their Greek neighbors from mythical times on. Tragedians bring on stage mythical instances of Athenians helping desperate suppliants from other states. Orators addressing the Assembly sometimes invoke this tradition of helping others when urging their audiences to vote in favor of intervention abroad. In light of how prominently this heroic image of Athenians as noble helpers figures in public discourse, we can have little doubt that this was a central element of civic ideology. It is reasonable to ask, however, what relation this image bears to actual Athenian behavior at home and abroad and to what extent it simplifies or distorts Athenian attitudes toward helping others. This study focuses on how helping figured in Athenians' relations with their fellow citizens, their city, and other Greek city-states rather than on the role of helping in the more intimate relationships of family members and friends. The latter subject has drawn considerable scholarly attention in recent decades in work on the Athenian family and friendship, and there is a general consensus that Athenians, like other Greeks, were under strong pressure "The Philanthropic Athenian? Athenians in the classical period (508-322 BC) were drawn to an image of themselves as a compassionate and generous people, who rushed to the aid of others in distress at home and abroad. Litigants in the popular courts appeal to this ideal when they call upon large panels of jurors collectively to intervene and help them against their unjust opponents with a favorable verdict. Speakers delivering funeral orations for the state's war dead portray Athenians as valiant rescuers of their Greek neighbors from mythical times on. Tragedians bring on stage mythical instances of Athenians helping desperate suppliants from other states. Orators addressing the Assembly sometimes invoke this tradition of helping others when urging their audiences to vote in favor of intervention abroad. In light of how prominently this heroic image of Athenians as noble helpers figures in public discourse, we can have little doubt that this was a central element of civic ideology. It is reasonable to ask, however, what relation this image bears to actual Athenian behavior at home and abroad and to what extent it simplifies or distorts Athenian attitudes toward helping others. This study focuses on how helping figured in Athenians' relations with their fellow citizens, their city, and other Greek city-states rather than on the role of helping in the more intimate relationships of family members and friends. The latter subject has drawn considerable scholarly attention in recent decades in work on the Athenian family and friendship, and there is a general consensus that Athenians, like other Greeks, were under strong pressure to help their family members and friends"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 THE LIMITS OF ALTRUISM IN DEMOCRATIC ATHENS 5 © 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 11 INTRODUCTION: The Philanthropic Athenian? 13 I HELPING BEHAVIOUR IN CLASSICAL ATHENS 22 HELPING FELLOW SOLDIERS 25 AIDING THE POOR 29 NURSING THE SICK 38 BYSTANDER INTERVENTION 40 Lysias, Against Teisis, fr. 279 Carey (before ca. 380 B.C.) 41 Demosthenes 47: Against Euergus and Mnesibulus (after 356 B.C.) 42 Aeschines 1: Against Timarchus (345 B.C.) 43 Demosthenes 54: Against Conon (355 or 341 B.C.?) 44 [Demosthenes 53: Against Nicostratus (after 368 B.C.) 47 Lysias 3: Against Simon (after 394 B.C.) 48 HELPING IN LITIGATION 53 Volunteer Prosecution 53 Sungoroi 56 II HELPING AND DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP 60 DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP AND THE IDEAL OF HOMONOIA 62 HELPING AS A CIVIC VIRTUE 79 Citizens Help the City 80 The City Helps Citizens 102 III HELPING AND COMMUNITY IN THE ATHENIAN LAW COURTS 106 COURTS AS VENUES FOR HELPING 107 CASE STUDIES IN COMMUNAL HELPING 115 A Community of Kindred Avengers 115 A Community of Reciprocal Helpers 118 Community, Solidarity, and Security 121 THE FRAGILITY OF HELPING 126 IV "HELPING OTHERS" IN ATHENIAN INTERSTATE RELATIONS 130 ATHENIAN INTERSTATE RELATIONS 132 "HELPING THE WRONGED" IN ATHENIAN CIVIC IDEOLOGY 138 ATHENIAN HELPING IN THE GREEK HISTORIANS 149 Helping the Ionians 151 Helping the Plataeans 156 Helping Former Enemies 168 DEMOSTHENES AND THE RHETORIC OF ATHENIAN HELPING 175 Deliberative Speeches 175 On the Crown: Rewriting the Past 183 CONCLUSION: Helping and the Athenian Experience 189 BIBLIOGRAPHY 195 INDEX OF ANCIENT CITATIONS 209 GENERAL INDEX 221 Machine generated contents note: Introduction: the philanthropic Athenian?; 1. Helping behavior in classical Athens; 2. Helping and democratic citizenship; 3. Helping and community in the Athenian lawcourts; 4. "Helping others" in Athenian interstate relations; Conclusion: helping and the Athenian experience.