The Athenian Experiment: Building an Imagined Political Community in Ancient Attica, 508-490 B.C.In barely the space of one generation, Athens was transformed from a conventional city-state into something completely new--a region-state on a scale previously unthinkable. This book sets out to answer a seemingly simple question: How and when did the Athenian state attain the anomalous size that gave it such influence in Greek politics and culture in the classical period? Many scholars argue that Athens's incorporation of Attica was a gradual development, largely completed some two hundred years before the classical era. Anderson, however, suggests that it is not until the late sixth century that we see the first systematic attempts by the Athenian polis to integrate all of Attica. Anderson first takes issue with the prevailing view of Cleisthenes' landmark political reforms of 508-7 b.c., arguing that they were animated by a more comprehensive vision of regional political community in Attica. The Athenians' strengthened the state by establishing institutional mechanisms that would allow inhabitants of the Attic periphery to participate as never before in the life of the center. The creation of a suitable physical setting for the new order was accompanied by religious, military, and symbolic innovations. Regional participation in Athenian affairs was stimulated by encouraging the Attic populace to imagine themselves, for the first time ever, as members of a single, like-minded, self-governing political community. Greg Anderson is Assistant Professor of Classics and History, University of Illinois at Chicago. |
Contents
From CityState to RegionState | 13 |
In Search of Popular Government | 43 |
Showcase for a New Regime | 87 |
New Departures among | 104 |
Tribes Heroes and the Reunification | 123 |
The New Order at War | 147 |
Ritual Ties between Center | 178 |
Change and Memory | 197 |
Conclusion | 212 |
| 281 | |
| 299 | |
Common terms and phrases
Acrop Acropolis Agora Alcmeonids altar Anavyssos ancient appears archaic archon Assembly associated Athenian Athens Attica believe Bouleuterion Brauron building ceremony chapter chariot City Dionysia civic claim classical period Cleisthenes commemoration contests Council of 500 cult cultural decade demes democracy demos Dionysus discussion earlier earliest early Eleusis elite established evidence exile festival FGrH fifth Greek Harmodius and Aristogeiton Heracles hero Herodotus Hipparchus IG IIČ innovation inscription institutional kind kouros late sixth century later Manville Megacles memory military monuments Mysteries Neils non-Athenians nonelite Old Bouleuterion Ostwald Panathenaia Panathenaic Panhellenic Paus pediment Peisistratid perhaps phylai Plut polis political popular presumably probably Raaflaub regime Rhodes ritual role sanctuary seems Shapiro Shear significance sixth century Solon Solonian sources Stoa Stoa Basileios structure suggests synoecism temple Theseus Thuc Thucydides tion tribal tribes trittyes trittys Tyrannicides tyranny unification vases Wycherley