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Looking for the language of Athenian imperialism*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2012

Polly Low
Polly Low
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
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Abstract

Conventional portrayals of Athenian imperialism, heavily influenced by Thucydides, tend to assume that the Athenians thought of, and described, their imperialistic actions in frank, even brutal, terms. This article seeks to challenge that assumption by exploring two sets of fifth-century Athenian epigraphical material: documents which contain the phrase ‘the cities which the Athenians rule’, and inscriptions imposing regulations on allied states which are erected at the ally's expense. In both cases, it is argued that if these apparently overtly aggressive documents are considered in an epigraphic rather than a Thucydidean context, they reveal the existence of a more subtle, nuanced and diplomatic approach to imperial politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Hellenic Studies , Volume 125 , November 2005 , pp. 93 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies 2005

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References

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