Governance and societies: Greek world

Teacher(s)

Balzat Jean-Sébastien;

Language

French
> English-friendly

Content

Through the examination of literary and epigraphic sources, as well as major contributions produced by modern scholars, this course offers a diachronic approach to the main modes of governance and social organisation attested in the Ancient Greek world. The course is divided into three parts that reflect the major periods in the history of the Greek city-state (polis) according to John Ma (2024): the emergence of the city (675-480 BC); the “classical” city (480-180 BC); the city and the Empire (180 BCE-350 CE). The first part looks at the formation of the civic community – its members, institutions and ideology – by exploring two opposing models of governance and social organisation: Sparta and Athens. The second part covers a period marked by intense conflicts between cities (ca. 450-350 BCE), followed by the Macedonian Power (ca. 350–180 BCE). It explores the “democratic” and “oligarchic” tendencies (Aristotle) that ran through the Greek cities as well as the question of their autonomy vis-à-vis the Macedonian kingdom. The third part sees the development of a ‘world empire’ (Rome) that upset the traditional balance of power. It analyses how the control of the civic elites asserted itself in the cities without completely eliminating certain forms of popular expression. It also shows how the Greek cities became the privileged interlocutors of the Roman administration, to the point that the model of the Greek city experienced a new period of diffusion in the eastern Mediterranean.

Teaching methods

Lecture with readings and analysis of ancient documents (in translation)

Evaluation methods

Written exam (2h)

Online resources

Bibliography and slideshows available on Moodle

Faculty or entity

> EHAC