Decrees of Fourth-Century Athens (403/2–322/1 BC): Volume 2, Political and Cultural Perspectives

Peter Liddel

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781107185074
• eBook ISBN: 9781316952719
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

Decree-making is a defining aspect of ancient Greek political activity: it was the means by which city-state communities went about deciding to get things done. This two-volume work provides a new view of the decree as an institution within the framework of fourth-century Athenian democratic political activity. Volume 1 consists of a comprehensive account of the literary evidence for decrees of the fourth-century Athenian assembly. Volume 2 analyses how decrees and decree-making, by offering both an authoritative source for the narrative of the history of the Athenian demos and a legitimate route for political self-promotion, came to play an important role in shaping Athenian democratic politics. Peter Liddel assesses ideas about, and the reality of, the dissemination of knowledge of decrees among both Athenians and non-Athenians and explains how they became significant to the wider image and legacy of the Athenians.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Tables
• Introduction
• 1 Ḁe Social Capital of the Decree
• 2 Appropriation and Aspiration: Decrees in the Pursuit of Political Self-Interest
• 3 Ḁe Dissemination of Fourth-Century Athenian Decrees: Local Audiences
• 4 Ḁe Audiences of Decrees Beyond Athenian Citizens
• 5 Literary Representations of Athenian Decrees
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1 Proposers of Decrees at the Athenian Assembly 403/2–322/1
• Appendix 2 Literary Inventions
• Bibliography
• Index Locorum
• General Index