Exile, Ostracism, and Democracy

The Politics of Expulsion in Ancient Greece

Inbunden, Engelska, 2005

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Beskrivning

This book explores the cultural and political significance of ostracism in democratic Athens. In contrast to previous interpretations, Sara Forsdyke argues that ostracism was primarily a symbolic institution whose meaning for the Athenians was determined both by past experiences of exile and by its role as a context for the ongoing negotiation of democratic values. The first part of the book demonstrates the strong connection between exile and political power in archaic Greece. In Athens and elsewhere, elites seized power by expelling their rivals. Violent intra-elite conflict of this sort was a highly unstable form of "politics that was only temporarily checked by various attempts at elite self-regulation. A lasting solution to the problem of exile was found only in the late sixth century during a particularly intense series of violent expulsions. At this time, the Athenian people rose up and seized simultaneously control over decisions of exile and political power. The close connection between political power and the power of expulsion explains why ostracism was a central part of the democratic reforms.Forsdyke shows how ostracism functioned both as a symbol of democratic power and as a key term in the ideological justification of democratic rule. Crucial to the author's interpretation is the recognition that ostracism was both a remarkably mild form of exile and one that was infrequently used. By analyzing the representation of exile in Athenian imperial decrees, in the works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, and in tragedy and oratory, Forsdyke shows how exile served as an important term in the debate about the best form of rule.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2005-10-30
Mått:152 x 235 x 24 mm
Vikt:652 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:376
Förlag:Princeton University Press
ISBN:9780691119755

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Mer om författaren

Sara Forsdyke is Assistant Professor of Greek and Latin in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan.

Recensioner i media

"The style is clear and straightforward. Forsdyke repeats her main points; she makes good use of theories of poetry, anthropology, religion, and social science. This is an important work which upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, and historians will profitably use. It demands much of its reader; it will open eyes and challenge assumptions."--Daniel B. Levine, Classical Outlook

Innehållsförteckning

Acknowledgments ix Chronology xi Abbreviations and Conventions xiii Introduction: Problems, Methods, Concepts 1 Chapter One: Setting the Stage Intra-elite Conflict and the Early Greek Polis 15 Continuity and Change: Social Diversity in Dark Age Greece 17 The Eighth Century and the Rise of the Polis 18 Conclusion 28 Chapter Two: The Politics of Exile and the Crisis of the Archaic Polis Four Case Studies: Mytilene, Megara, Samos, and Corinth 30 Archaic Poetry and History: A Methodological Introduction 32 Mytilene 36 Megara 48 Samos 59 Corinth 69 Conclusion 77 Chapter Three: From Exile to Ostracism The Origins of Democracy in Athens, circa 636-508/7 79 The Politics of Exile in Archaic Athens: Cylon, Draco, and the Trial of the Alcmeonidae 80 The Beginnings of Change: Solon 90 A New Type of Politics: Pisistratus and Sons 101 An End to the Politics of Exile: Cleisthenes and the Democratic Revolution 133 Conclusion 142 Chapter Four: Ostracism and Exile in Democratic Athens 144 The Procedure of Ostracism 146 Ostracism as a Symbolic Institution 149 Ostracisms in Fifth-Century Athens 165 Other Forms of Exile under the Athenian Democracy 178 Exile and the Oligarchic Revolutions of 411 and 404 181 Conclusion 204 Chapter Five: Exile and Empire Expulsion in Inter-State Politics 205 Athenian Control and Limitation of Exile: The Erythrae Decree 207 Further Regulation of Exile: The Chalcis Decree 210 A Judicial Decree? 223 Thucydides, Isocrates, and the Legitimacy of Athenian Power 226 Exile and the Tyrant City: A Critique of Athenian Power 232 Exile and the Mythical Past: The Defense of Athenian Power 234 Conclusion 239 Chapter Six: Exile in the Greek Mythical and Historical Imagination 240 Myth, History, and Social Memory: Approaching the Greek Historical Imagination 242 Exile in the Democratic Tradition 244 Exile in the Anti-Democratic Tradition 267 Conclusion 276 Conclusion 278 Appendix One: The Date of the Athenian Law of Ostracism 281 Appendix Two: Ostracism outside Athens 285 Appendix Three: Exile in Spartan Myth and History 289 Bibliography 301 Index Locorum 327 General Index 334