The Constitution of the Athenians (or Athenaion Politeia, or The Athenian constitution) is the name of either of two texts from Classical antiquity, one probably by Aristotle or a student of his, the other attributed to Xenophon, but not by him.
Aristotle
The Aristotelian text is unique, because it is not a part of the Corpus Aristotelicum. It was lost until two leaves of a papyrus codex carrying part of the text were discovered in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt in 1879 and published in 1880.[1] A second papyrus text was purchased in Egypt by an American missionary in 1890. The British Museum acquired it later that year, and the first edition of it by Frederic G. Kenyon was published in January, 1891.[2] The editions of the Greek text in widest use today are Kenyon's Oxford Classical Text of 1920 and the Teubner edition by Mortimer H. Chambers (1986, second edition 1994).
Ancient accounts of Aristotle credit him with 170 Constitutions of various states; it is widely assumed that these were research for the Politics, and that many of them were written or drafted by his students. Athens, however, was a particularly important state, and where Aristotle was living at the time; it is plausible that, even if students did the others, Aristotle did that one himself, and possible that it was intended as a model for the rest. However, a number of prominent scholars doubt that it was written by Aristotle.[3]
If it is a genuine writing of Aristotle, then it is of particular significance, because it is the only one of his extant writings that was actually intended for publication.
Because it purports to supply us with so much contemporary information previously unknown or unreliable, modern historians have claimed that "the discovery of this treatise constitutes almost a new epoch in Greek historical study."[4] In particular, 21-22, 26.2-4, and 39-40 of the work contain factual information not found in any other extant ancient text.[5]
Pseudo-Xenophon
Included in the shorter works of Xenophon is a hostile treatise about the Athenian Constitution. The author, who appears to be an Athenian, regards the Athenian democracy as undesirable, as giving the mob undue voice in the state; but he argues that it is well-designed for its purpose, if you wanted so vile a thing to be done. The author goes on to say that whilst 'the good', a description he uses to cover the rich and the aristocracy of Athens, are better qualified to run the state due to their wealth and education, this would lead to 'the masses' being disenfranchised as the rich would naturally act in their own interests, leading to the suppression of the lower classes. The Athenian democracy allows the poor to exert their influence, in line with the thetes' crucial role in the Athenian Navy and therefore in Athens' power.
Dating and authenticity
In the early 20th century, evidence against Xenophon's authorship was presented, and has become the majority view. The author is now usually called pseudo-Xenophon, or the Old Oligarch, based on the anti-democratic tone of the work. The style is not Xenophon's, who is remarkably clear; this treatise is crabbed and inelegant.
The date of the treatise can only be estimated. The Old Oligarch says that lengthy land expeditions cannot be supplied against a sea power; since Brasidas marched the length of Greece in 424 BC, when Xenophon was about five, the Old Oligarch presumably wrote before that date. On the other hand, he discusses the military advantages of democracy at some length, and in listing the business of the boule puts it first; so it has been argued that he wrote in wartime. There are plausible arguments that this was in fact the Peloponnesian War; but G.W. Bowersock, the editor of the Loeb text, is not convinced this is certain.
Notes
- ^ F. Blass, in Hermes 15 (1880:366-82; the text was identified as Aristotle's Athenaion Politeia by T. Bergk in 1881.
- ^ Peter John Rhodes. A Commentary on the Aristotelian Athenaion Politeia (Oxford University Press), 1981, 1993: introduction, pp. 2-5.
- ^ e.g., Rhodes, A Commentary on the Aristotelian Athenaion Politeia.
- ^ J. Mitchell and M. Caspari (eds.), p. xxvii, A History of Greece: From the Time of Solon to 403 B.C.", George Grote, Routledge 2001.
- ^ pp. 29-30, Rhodes, P. Rhodes, 1981, A Commentary on the Aristotelian Athenaion Politeia.
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