Description
Book SynopsisChallenges the assumption that ancient Athens is best understood as a polis. This book recasts our understanding of Athenian political and social life. It demonstrates that ancient sources referred to Athens not only as a polis, but also as a 'nation' (ethnos), and that Athens did encompass the characteristics now used to identify a 'nation.'
Trade Review"A most interesting book and a thoroughly stimulating read... It is a highly welcome contribution."--Balbina Babler, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Table of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xvii List of Abbreviations xix Introduction: Athens as Paradox-Athens as Nation 3 Chapter 1: Anomalous Athens 11 An Anomalous Polis 11 An Anomalous Ethnos 22 Women in an Anomalous Democracy 30 Chapter 2: The Local Residents of Attika 49 Astoi and Politai 50 New, Old, and Former Athenians: The Historical Context 63 Attikismos: Becoming Part of Attika 70 Chapter 3: An Ancient Construct: The Athenian Nation 79 Motherland and Myth 82 Fatherland and Nationalism 91 Chapter 4: A Modern Myth: The Athenian Village 104 "Not Knowing One Another" in Attika 106 Anonymity and Mobility: The Reality of Deme Life 112 Chapter 5: Wealthy Slaves in a "Slave Society" 130 Unfree Wealth and Power: Slave Entrepreneurs and Civil Servants 132 "Corrective Interpretations": Evidence Rejected, Preconceptions Maintained 137 An Athenian Explanation for the Athenian Slave Economy 141 Chapter 6: The Social Contract: Sexual Abuse and Sexual Profit 155 An Academic Fantasy: Sexual Exploitation as Political Entitlement 159 Equal Employment Opportunity: Prostitution Not "the Special Preserve of Foreigners" 167 Consensual Sex: "Prostitution by Contract," Not Status 177 Works Cited 193 General Index 229 Index of Passages Cited 235
