Ancient Greek History and Contemporary Social Science

Mirko Canevaro is Professor of Greek History at the University of Edinburgh. He has published extensively on the history of the Greek polis, particularly on Demosthenes and Athens (2013, 2016) and Aristotle's Politics (2014, 2022), on dynamics of honour and recognition, and on class struggle in the Grek polis. Andrew Erskine is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Benjamin Gray is lecturer in Ancient History, Birkbeck, University of London and also, until August 2018, Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow, Institut für Geschichtswissenschaften, Humboldt-Universität Berlin. Josiah Ober is Constantine Mitsotakis Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. He is the author of The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece (Princeton, 2015), Democracy and Knowledge: Innovation and Learning in Classical Athens (Princeton, 2008), Athenian Legacies: Essays on the Politics of Going on Together (Princeton, 2005), Political Dissent in Democratic Athens (Princeton, 1998), The Athenian Revolution (Princeton, 1996), Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens (Princeton, 1989), Fortress Attica (Brill, 1985). He is co-author of Origins of Democracy in Ancient Greece (University of California Press, 2007).

• List of ContributorsIntroductionSection I: Theory and Method1. Behavioural Economics and Economic Activity in Classical Athens, David Lewis2. The City in Chorus: For a Choral History of Athenian Society, Vincent Azoulay and Paulin Ismard3. Approaching the Hellenistic Polis through Modern Political Theory: the Public Sphere, Pluralism and Prosperity, Benjamin GraySection II: Institutions4. Majority Rule vs. Consensus: the practice of democratic deliberation in the Greek poleis, Mirko Canevaro5. Rethinking Mass and Elite: Decision-Making in the Athenian Law-Courts, Federica Carugati and Barry R. Weingast6. Ancient and Modern Conceptions of the Rule of Law, Sara Forsdyke7. What can Data drawn from the Hansen-Nielsen Inventory tell us about Political Transitions in Ancient Greece?, Robert K. Fleck and F. Andrew HanssenSection III: Behaviour8. Patronage in Ancient Sparta, Ingvar B. Mæhle9. Understanding the politics of Pericles around 450 BCE: the benefits of an economic perspective, Carl Hampus Lyttkens and Henrik Gerding10. Cash and crowns: a network approach to Greek athletic prizes, Christian MannSection IV: Wealth, Poverty and Inequality11. Property Security and its Limits in Classical Greece, Emily Mackil12. Economic (in)equality and democracy: the political economy of poverty in Athens, Claire Taylor13. The Distribution of Wealthy Athenians in the Attic Demes, James Kierstead and Roman KlapaukhSection V: Interstate Relations14. Exploring inter-community political activity in fourth-century Greece, Peter Liddel15. Hegemonic Legitimacy (and its Absence) in Classical Greece, Polly Low16. The Koinon Dogma, the Mercenary Threat, and the Consolidation of the Democratic Revolutions in mid 5th Century Sicily, David TeegardenSection VI: Technology and Innovation17. Muddle wrestling: grappling for conceptual clarity in archaic money, Peter van Alfen18. Entanglement, Materiality, and the Social Organization of Construction Workers in Classical Athens, Diane Harris Cline19. Technology and Society in Classical Athens: A study of the social context of mining and metallurgy at Laurion, Kim van LiefferingeOverview: Greek history at a crossroads, John K. Davies

This volume is a manifesto for the implementation of the methods of social science in the field of ancient Greek History. After a methodological introduction by Josiah Ober that sets the debate, the nineteen chapters, followed by a conclusion by John Davies, beautifully illustrate the fruitfulness of the approach.