Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens

Study Notes

The book, Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens, published in 1989, continues to be relevant in the 2010s.
The original idea for the book arose from research on Athenian rhetoric in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE.
The author's dissertation, focused on Athenian defense policy after the Peloponnesian War, led to the book.
The book examines apparent contradictions in the speeches of Demosthenes, a prominent Athenian orator.
The author's research developed the concept of "mass and elite", which is now used extensively by scholars.
The author benefited from guidance from Chester Starr, a prominent scholar at the University of Michigan.
Initial research was connected to Athenian defense policy after the Peloponnesian War.
Research involved close examination of Attic orators' rhetoric.
The author discovered contradictions within the speeches of Demosthenes; these contradictions were reconciled by reciprocal exchange between masses and elites.

The author recognized the importance of political sociology in understanding Athenian democracy.
Influential scholar Moses Finley emphasized the intersection of social and political history.
The author's understanding of Finley's work profoundly shaped the book's approach.
The study drew inspiration from Michel Foucault's and Max Weber's theories.
The author's early work was titled "a political sociology of classical Athens".
Research involved the study and analysis of Athenian political thought and practices.
The study analyzed the concept of 'mass' and 'elite' in relation to social power and political rule in Athenian society.
A historical review of elite and mass relationships shaped the theoretical background.

The concept of "mass" and "elite" was central to the research.
The precise definition of "mass" and "elite" had been elusive.
Identifying specific and measurable criteria for distinguishing between "mass" and "elite" groups was crucial.
The study acknowledges that social categories like "mass" and "elite" were not precisely defined in ancient Greece.
The relevant social vocabulary distinguished between groups like "polloi" and "oligoi", or "plousioi" and "aporoi".
The study used models of Athenian income distributions to demonstrate the complexity of the population.
The study argues that the Athenian "mass" was not entirely impoverished, and that a substantial middle class existed.
The study modeled Athenian society in the Late 4th Century as having 34 categories of income ranging from 67 drachmas to nearly 9000 drachmas per person per year.
The study claims that 60% of Athenians were part of the middle class

The book examines factors that led to the stability and success of democracy in ancient Athens.
The author used the Athenian mass and elite concept to identify a particular civic ideology and associated practices.
The study looked at potential contradictions between elites and masses.
The study assessed the potential use of reciprocity as a driver of successful policy and stable social order.