A Companion to Greek and Roman Political Thought Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World Series

Justice, virtue, and citizenship were at the center of political life in ancient Greece and Rome and were frequently discussed by classical poets, historians, and philosophers. This Companion illuminates Greek and Roman political thought in all its range, diversity, and depth. Thirty-four essays from leading scholars in history, classics, philosophy, and political science provide stimulating discussions of classical political thought, ranging from the Archaic Greek epics to the final days of the Roman Empire and beyond. These essays strike a judicious yet thought-provoking balance between theoretical and historical perspectives.

A Companion to Greek and Roman Political Thought is an authoritative guide to the ancient Greek and Roman political questions that continue to shape and challenge the modern world.

Notes on Contributors x

Acknowledgments xvi

Note on Translations xvii

List of Abbreviations xviii

PART I The Broad View 1

1 Introduction: Rethinking the History of Greek and Roman Political Thought 3
Ryan K. Balot

2 What is Politics in the Ancient World? 20
Dean Hammer

3 Early Greek Political Thought in Its Mediterranean Context 37
Kurt A. Raaflaub

4 Civic Ideology and Citizenship 57
P. J. Rhodes

5 Public Action and Rational Choice in Classical Greek Political Theory 70
Josiah Ober

6 Imperial Ideologies, Citizenship Myths, and Legal Disputes in Classical Athens and Republican Rome 85
Craige B. Champion

7 Gendered Politics, or the Self-Praise of Andres Agathoi 100
Giulia Sissa

8 The Religious Contexts of Ancient Political Thought 118
Robin Osborne

PART II Democracies and Republics 131

9 Democracy Ancient and Modern 133
Peter Liddel

10 ‘‘Rights,’’ Individuals, and Communities in Ancient Greece 149
Paul Cartledge and Matt Edge

11 Personal Freedom in Greek Democracies, Republican Rome, and Modern Liberal States 164
Robert W. Wallace

12 The Mixed Constitution in Greek Thought 178
David E. Hahm

13 Republican Virtues 199
Malcolm Schofield

14 Roman Democracy? 214
W. Jeffrey Tatum

PART III The Virtues and Vices of One-Man Rule 229

15 The Uses and Abuses of Tyranny 231
Sara Forsdyke

16 Hellenistic Monarchy in Theory and Practice 247
Arthur M. Eckstein

17 The Ethics of Autocracy in the Roman World 266
Carlos F. Noren˜a

PART IV The Passions of Ancient Politics 281

18 Political Animals: Pathetic Animals 283
Giulia Sissa

19 Anger, Eros, and Other Political Passions in Ancient Greek Thought 294
Paul W. Ludwig

20 Some Passionate Performances in Late Republican Rome 308
Robert A. Kaster

PART V The Athens of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle 321

21 The Trial and Death of Socrates 323
Debra Nails

22 The Politics of Plato’s Socrates 339
Rachana Kamtekar

23 Freedom, Tyranny, and the Political Man: Plato’s Republic and Gorgias, a Study in Contrasts 353
Arlene W. Saxonhouse

24 Plato on the Sovereignty of Law 367
Zena Hitz

25 ‘‘Naturalism’’ in Aristotle’s Political Philosophy 382
Timothy Chappell

26 The Ethics of Aristotle’s Politics 399
David J. Depew

PART VI Constructing Political Narrative 419

27 Imitating Virtue and Avoiding Vice: Ethical Functions of Biography, History, and Philosophy 421
Charles W. Hedrick, Jr

28 Greek Drama and Political Thought 440
John Gibert

29 Character in Politics 456
Philip A. Stadter

PART VII Antipolitics 471

30 Cosmopolitan Traditions 473
David Konstan

31 False Idles: The Politics of the ‘‘Quiet Life’’ 485
Eric Brown

32 Citizenship and Signs: Rethinking Augustine on the Two Cities 501
Todd Breyfogle

PART VIII Receptions 527

33 Republicanism: Ancient, Medieval, and Beyond 529
Christopher Nadon

34 Twentieth Century Revivals of Ancient Political Thought: Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss 542
Catherine H. Zuckert

References 557

Index of Subjects 620

Index Locorum 650

RYAN K. BALOT
The editor is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. The author of Greed and Injustice in Classical Athens (Princeton, 2001) and Greek Political Thought (Blackwell, 2006), he specializes in the history of political thought.

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS VOLUME

Ryan K. Balot, Todd Breyfogle, Eric Brown, Paul Cartledge, Craige B. Champion, Timothy Chappell, David J. Depew, Arthur M. Eckstein, Matt Edge, Sara Forsdyke, John Gibert, David E. Hahm, Dean Hammer, Charles W. Hedrick Jr, Zena Hitz, Rachana Kamtekar, Robert A. Kaster, David Konstan, Peter Liddel, Paul W. Ludwig, Christopher Nadon, Debra Nails, Carlos F. Noreña, Josiah Ober, Robin Osborne, Kurt A. Raaflaub, P. J. Rhodes, Arlene W. Saxonhouse, Malcolm Schofield, Giulia Sissa, Philip A. Stadter, W. Jeffrey Tatum, Robert W. Wallace, Catherine H. Zuckert