War, Democracy and Culture in Classical Athens

Analyses how the democracy of the classical Athenians revolutionized military practices and underwrote their unprecedented commitment to war-making.

David M. Pritchard (Edited by)

9780521190336, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 December 2010

480 pages, 34 b/w illus. 1 table
24.6 x 17.5 x 2.8 cm, 1.1 kg

'… A well-organized collection of expert studies, on an important theme, which provide much food for thought and stimulus for further work.' P. J. Rhodes, The Journal of Hellenic Studies

Athens is famous for its direct democracy and its innovative culture. Not widely known is its contemporaneous military revolution. Athens invented or perfected new forms of combat, strategy and military organization and was directly responsible for raising the scale of Greek warfare to a different order of magnitude. The timing of this revolution is striking: it followed directly the popular uprising of 508 BC and coincided with the flowering of Athenian culture, which was largely brought about by democracy. This raises the intriguing possibility that popular government was one of the major causes of Athenian military success. Ancient writers may have thought as much, but the traditional assumptions of ancient historians and political scientists have meant that the impact of democracy on war has received almost no scholarly attention. This volume brings together ancient historians, archaeologists, classicists and political scientists to explore this important but neglected problem from multiple perspectives.

1. The symbiosis between democracy and war: the case of ancient Athens David M. Pritchard
Part I. The Impact of Democracy on War: 2. Thucydides on Athens' democratic advantage in the Archidamian War Josiah Ober
3. Democratizing courage in Classical Athens Ryan K. Balot
Part II. Military Innovations of the Democracy: 4. Cavalry, democracy and military thinking in Classical Athens Iain Spence
5. Light troops in Classical Athens Matthew Trundle
Part III. The Fifth-Century Drama of War: 6. Affirming Athenian action: Euripides' portrayal of military activity and the limits of tragic instruction Sophie Mills
7. Ridiculing a popular war: Old Comedy and militarism in Classical Athens David Konstan
Part IV. War in Fourth-Century Speeches: 8. War in the law-court: some Athenian discussions Alastair J. L. Blanshard
9. Athenian militarism and the recourse to war Peter Hunt
Part V. Soldiers in Privately Purchased Art: 10. Democratic ideology, the events of war and the iconography of Attic funerary sculpture Robin Osborne
11. The warrior loutrophoroi of fifth-century Athens Patricia Hannah
12. 'I am Eurymedon': tensions and ambiguities in Athenian war imagery Margaret C. Miller
Part VI. Honouring the War Dead: 13. Commemoration of the war dead in Classical Athens: remembering defeat and victory Polly Low
14. Aret? and the achievements of the war dead: the logic of praise in the Athenian funeral oration Sumio Yoshitake
15. Epilogue: does democracy have a violent heart? John Keane.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Military history [HBW], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]