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Athens in Crisis in the HellenicaA natural starting point for inquiring into Xenophon's perspective on the Athenian democracy and the place of the elite within it is his account of Athens' tumultuous history in the last decade of the fifth century in the opening books of the Hellenica. Xenophon portrays Athens undergoing a series of crises in the late years of the Peloponnesian War, including the execution of six of its generals without trial after their naval victory at Arginusae (), the violent rule of the oligarchic Thirty (/), and the civil war that ensued and led to the restoration of the democracy (). In depicting these events, Xenophon provides important clues concerning his view of the proper role of the elite within Athens. His account suggests that while he is critical of aspects of democratic rule, the violence and destruction wrought by the Thirty convinces him that the city's elite should stop seeking to overthrow the democracy and devote their energies instead to providing responsible leadership within the democratic city.Xenophon's account of Athens in crisis occupies a privileged position in his Hellenica, filling much of the first two of its seven books that recount the history of the Greek world at war from to . It appears that Xenophon, as an Athenian, viewed these events as momentous, and his Athenian reading audience no doubt also did. Xenophon may also have had a personal stake in how Athenians viewed this period if he served as a member of the cavalry under the Thirty. In any event, Xenophon's account of Athenian history in the last decade of the fifth century allows us to assess his perspective on democracy and its alternatives in Athens and to begin to understand why he devotes so much attention in his other writings to the essential role of the elite within the democracy.This chapter considers first how Xenophon presents a critical, but not devastating, view of the Athenian people (dēmos) in the Arginusae episode, and argues that his account focuses as much on the problem of elite On the possibility that Xenophon served in the cavalry under the Thirty, see the Introduction.
Athens in Crisis in the HellenicaA natural starting point for inquiring into Xenophon's perspective on the Athenian democracy and the place of the elite within it is his account of Athens' tumultuous history in the last decade of the fifth century in the opening books of the Hellenica. Xenophon portrays Athens undergoing a series of crises in the late years of the Peloponnesian War, including the execution of six of its generals without trial after their naval victory at Arginusae (), the violent rule of the oligarchic Thirty (/), and the civil war that ensued and led to the restoration of the democracy (). In depicting these events, Xenophon provides important clues concerning his view of the proper role of the elite within Athens. His account suggests that while he is critical of aspects of democratic rule, the violence and destruction wrought by the Thirty convinces him that the city's elite should stop seeking to overthrow the democracy and devote their energies instead to providing responsible leadership within the democratic city.Xenophon's account of Athens in crisis occupies a privileged position in his Hellenica, filling much of the first two of its seven books that recount the history of the Greek world at war from to . It appears that Xenophon, as an Athenian, viewed these events as momentous, and his Athenian reading audience no doubt also did. Xenophon may also have had a personal stake in how Athenians viewed this period if he served as a member of the cavalry under the Thirty. In any event, Xenophon's account of Athenian history in the last decade of the fifth century allows us to assess his perspective on democracy and its alternatives in Athens and to begin to understand why he devotes so much attention in his other writings to the essential role of the elite within the democracy.This chapter considers first how Xenophon presents a critical, but not devastating, view of the Athenian people (dēmos) in the Arginusae episode, and argues that his account focuses as much on the problem of elite On the possibility that Xenophon served in the cavalry under the Thirty, see the Introduction.
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