The Athenian Empire

by Low, Polly

• ISBN13: 9780748625857
• ISBN10: 0748625852
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-07
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Summary

In the fifth century BC, the Athenian Empire dominated the politics and culture of the Mediterranean world. Historians, then and now, have been fascinated by that domination, and continue to grapple with the problem of explaining and analysing it.This book offers a comprehensive, and multi-faceted, analysis of the history and significance of the Athenian Empire. It starts by exploring possible answers to the crucial questions of the origins and growth of the empire. Subsequent sections deal with the institutions and regulations of empire, and the mechanisms by which it was controlled; the costs and benefits of imperialism (for both rulers and ruled); and the ideological, cultural and artistic aspects of Athenian power.The articles collected here are among the most influential studies in the field, written by the foremost scholars of the 20th and 21st centuries. They engage with the full range of evidence available to the historian of the Athenian Empire -- literary, epigraphic, archaeological and art-historical -- and offer a compelling demonstration of the range of approaches, and conclusions, for which that evidence allows.Includes chronology and a guide to further reading. All passages of ancient Greek are translated and difficult terms are explained. One article has been translated and is available in English for the first time.

Table of Contents

Maps
Introduction
General Introduction	p. 3
The Fifth-Century Athenian Empire: A Balance Sheet	p. 14
Origins, Development and Chronology
Introduction to Part I	p. 41
Thucydides on the Purpose of the Delian League	p. 49
The Growth of Athenian Imperialism	p. 58
Periclean Imperialism	p. 81
Controlling the Empire
Introduction to Part II	p. 113
The Athenian Coinage Decree	p. 118
Proxeny and Proxenos in Fifth-Century Athens	p. 132
A Note on Athenian Imperialism	p. 140
Religion and the Athenian Empire	p. 146
Costs and Benefits
Introduction to Part III	p. 159
The Parthenon, the Treasury of Athena and the Tribute of the Allies	p. 164
Money Talks: Rhetor, Demos, and the Resources of the Athenian Empire	p. 185
Archaeology and the Athenian Empire	p. 211
Popularity and Propaganda
Introduction to Part IV	p. 227
The Character of the Athenian Empire	p. 232
Thucydides and the Cities of the Athenian Empire	p. 277
Images and Political Identity: The Case of Athens	p. 294
Postscript: The Aftermath of Empire	p. 335
Intellectual Chronology	p. 338
Guide to Further Reading	p. 340
Bibliography	p. 343
Index	p. 349
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