The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy

The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy presents a series of essays that trace the Greeks path to democracy and examine the connection between the Greek polis as a citizen state and democracy as well as the interaction between democracy and various forms of cultural expression from a comparative historical perspective and with special attention to the place of Greek democracy in political thought and debates about democracy throughout the centuries. Presents an original combination of a close synchronic and long diachronic examination of the Greek polis - city-states that gave rise to the first democratic system of government Offers a detailed study of the close interactionbetween democracy, society, and the arts in ancient Greece Places the invention of democracy in fifth-century bce Athens both in its broad social and cultural context and in the context of the re-emergence of democracy in the modern world Reveals the role Greek democracy played in the political and intellectual traditions that shaped modern democracy, and in the debates about democracy in modern social, political, and philosophical thought Written collaboratively by an international team of leading scholars in classics, ancient history, sociology, and political science

The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy presents aseries of essays that trace the Greeks' path to democracy andexamine the connection between the Greek polis as a citizenstate and democracy as well as the interaction between democracyand various forms of cultural expression from a comparativehistorical perspective and with special attention to the place ofGreek democracy in political thought and debates about democracythroughout the centuries.* Presents an original combination of a close synchronic and longdiachronic examination of the Greek polis - city-states thatgave rise to the first democratic system of government* Offers a detailed study of the close interactionbetweendemocracy, society, and the arts in ancient Greece* Places the invention of democracy in fifth-century bce Athensboth in its broad social and cultural context and in the context ofthe re-emergence of democracy in the modern world* Reveals the role Greek democracy played in the political andintellectual traditions that shaped modern democracy, and in thedebates about democracy in modern social, political, andphilosophical thought* Written collaboratively by an international team of leadingscholars in classics, ancient history, sociology, and politicalscience

Series Editor's Preface viiContributors viiiIntroduction 1Johann P. Arnason, Kurt A. Raaflaub, and Peter WagnerPart I The Greek Experience in Long-term Perspective 191 Exploring the Greek Needle's Eye: Civilizational and Political Transformations 21Johann P. Arnason2 Transformations of Democracy: Towards a History of Political Thought and Practice in Long-term Perspective 47Peter WagnerPart II Ways of Polis-making: Grasping the Novelty of the Political 693 To Act with Good Advice: Greek Tragedy and the Democratic Political Sphere 71Egon Flaig4 Democracy and Dissent: the Case of Comedy 99Lucio Bertelli5 Democracy, Oratory, and the Rise of Historiography in Fifth-century Greece 126Jonas Grethlein6 Political Uses of Rhetoric in Democratic Athens 144Harvey Yunis7 Law and Democracy in Classical Athens 163Adriaan Lanni8 Democracy and Political Philosophy: Influences, Tensions, Rapprochement 181Ryan K. Balot9 Inscriptions and the City in Democratic Athens 205Elizabeth A. MeyerPart III Changing a Way of Life: Democracy's Impact on Polis Society 22510 The Impact of Democracy on Communal Life 227Sara L. Forsdyke11 The Demos's Participation in Decision-making: Principles and Realities 260Claude Mossé12 Democracy and Religion in Classical Greece 274Robin Osborne13 Democracy and War 298Lawrence A. TritlePart IV Political Concepts and Commitments 32114 Perfecting the "Political Creature": Equality and "the Political" in the Evolution of Greek Democracy 323Kurt A. Raaflaub15 Tyranny and Tragedy in Nietzsche's Understanding of the Greek Polis 351Tracy B. Strong16 The Liberty of the Moderns Compared to the Liberty of the Ancients 371Nathalie Karagiannis and Peter WagnerIndex 389