The Athenian Republic by Sealey Raphael

Author:Sealey, Raphael.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

II

The word dēmokratia and words related to it by similarity or contrast are only a small part of Athenian public life, but scrutiny of them must rely on utterances of historians and orators. By the time of Thucydides and of Pseudo-Xenophon political utterance balanced dēmokratia and oligarchia as contrasting terms.18 Whatever the connotative meaning, oligarchia clung by denotation to Lakedaimon.19 Dēmokratia clung by denotation to Athens. In the Thucydidean funeral speech (2.37.1) Perikles says that the Athenian constitution is called in name dēmokratia The use of the word by a pleader in court in 419/18 is, if possible, even more telling. He says that as a member of the council of five hundred he offered sacrifice and prayers “on behalf of this city” and as a member of the first prytany of the year he offered sacrifice “on behalf of the dēmokratia”.20 The latter passage shows that as early as 419/18 the word dēmokratia could be used as a colorless designation for the current condition of the Athenians.

In other early occurrences the word is not colorless. Herodotos (3.80–83) gives an account of a supposed debate between three Persian grandees on forms of government. One of them, Otanes, argues against setting up a mounarchos and urges instead that they should bring about the rule of the multitude (plēthos). Herodotos elsewhere (6.43.3) refers to the proposal of Otanes as a proposal for dēmokratia The other two grandees, Megabyxos (3.81.2–3) and Dareios (3.82.1 and 4–5), utter the word dēmos to characterize the proposal of Otanes. But Otanes himself does not use dēmokratia or dēmos of his proposal. On the contrary he says (3.80.6): “The rule of the multitude has in the first place the most beautiful name of all, isonomia.” He proceeds to contrast that condition with the arbitrary behavior of a tyrant.

Toward understanding the choice of words by Otanes one must pursue isonomia and Herodotean usage of dēmokratia a little further. Previous studies have shown that isonomia is “not a name for a form of government but for the principle of political equality.”21 The force of the word is clearly apparent in the drinking song in honor of the tyrannicides. Harmodios and Aristogeiton killed the tyrant Hipparchos and made Athens isonomoi.22 Isonomia contrasts with dynasteia.23 Herodotos (3.142.3) makes Maiandrios tell the assembled Samians that he disapproves of the rule of one man and that accordingly he is giving up his own rule and proclaiming isonomia In the same sense Herodotos (5.37.2) tells of the first action taken by Aristagoras of Miletos, when he launched the Ionian Revolt: “In the first place in name he gave up his tyranny and created isonomia for Miletos.” Someone less devoted to isonomia, a tyrant for example, might prefer a less attractive word. At the Danube Histiaios persuaded his fellow-tyrants to resist the blandishments of the Skythians and preserve the bridge for Dareios. He argued that the tyrants owed their rule to Dareios and would be overthrown if the power of Dareios collapsed; “for, he said, each of the cities would rather have dēmokratia than tyranny” (4.

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