Classical Athenian democracy is rightly famous but democracy flourished in other parts of the Greek world as well. In this clear and fascinating book, Matthew Simonton traces the emergence, growth, consolidation and decline of democratic city-states over the millennium down to the fifth century CE. He argues for the widespread and highly participatory nature of democratic constitutions across the Greek world, particularly in the fourth, third, and second centuries BCE. Readers will also learn to appreciate the characteristic ideological, institutional, and material-cultural features of democratic poleis. The evidence marshalled includes literary texts, inscriptions, coins, archaeological remains, and monumental art. The book does not shy away from the fact that ancient Greek democracies both empowered lower-class men but also rested on a series of exclusions (of women, enslaved people, and foreigners). Nevertheless, demokratia emerges as a major facet of ancient Greek culture and society.

Concise and up-to-date history of ancient Greek democracies - along with their characteristic ideas and institutions - across antiquity.

About the Author
Matthew Simonton is Associate Professor of Classics at Princeton University, having previously worked at Arizona State University. His first book, Classical Greek Oligarchy: A Political History (2017), received the 2018 Runciman Award from the Anglo-Hellenic League. He is currently at work on a political and culture history of ancient Greek demagoguery.


Book Information
ISBN 9781108948296
Author Matthew Simonton
Format Paperback
Page Count 238
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 325g