Early Greek Political Thought from Homer to the Sophists

This edition of early Greek writings on social and political issues includes works by more than thirty authors.

Michael Gagarin (Edited by), Paul Woodruff (Edited by)

9780521437684, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 21 September 1995

388 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.2 cm, 0.53 kg

"Because of its wide range of materials included and the helpful editorial additions, this is an extremely valuable anthology, certainly the best in its field. It would be an excellent text to use in courses on ancient political thought." R.K., Ethics

This edition of early Greek writings on social and political issues includes works by more than thirty authors. There is a particular emphasis on the sophists, with the inclusion of all of their significant surviving texts, and the works of Alcidamas, Antisthenes and the 'Old Oligarch' are also represented. In addition there are excerpts from early poets such as Homer, Hesiod and Solon, the three great tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, medical writers and presocratic philosophers. Besides political theory, areas represented include early anthropology, sociology, ethics and rhetoric, and the wide range of issues discussed includes human nature, the origin of human society, the origin of law, the nature of justice, the forms of good government, the distribution of wealth, and the distribution of power among genders and social classes.

Preface
Introduction
Principal dates
Bibliographical note
Glossary
Table of equivalents
Part I. Early Poetry: 1
Homer
2. Hesiod
3. Archilochus
4. Tyrtaeus
5. Solon
6. Theognis
7. Hymn to Hephaestus
8. Simonides
9. Xenophanes
10. Pindar
Part II. Tragedy: 11. Aeschylus
12. Sophocles
13. Euripides
14. Other tragic fragments
Part III. History and Folklore: 15. Herodotus
16. Thucydides
17. The old Oligarch
18. Aesop
Part IV. Philosophy and Science: 19. Heraclitus
20. Democritus
21. Medical writers from the Hippocratic corpus
22. Antisthenes
Part V. Sophists
23. Protagoras
24. Gorgias
25. Prodicus
26. Hippias
27. Antiphon
28. Thrasymachus
29. Evenus
30. Critias
31. Lycophron
32. Alcidamas
33. Anonymus Iamblichi
34. Dissoi Logoi
35. From unknown authors
Index.

Subject Areas: Political science & theory [JPA], History of ideas [JFCX]