Early Greek Political Thought from Homer to the Sophists

Description

This edition of early Greek writings on social and political issues includes works by more than thirty authors. There is a particular emphasis on the sophists, with the inclusion of all of their significant surviving texts, and the works of Alcidamas, Antisthenes and the 'Old Oligarch' are also represented. In addition there are excerpts from early poets such as Homer, Hesiod and Solon, the three great tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, medical writers and presocratic philosophers. Besides political theory, areas represented include early anthropology, sociology, ethics and rhetoric, and the wide range of issues discussed includes human nature, the origin of human society, the origin of law, the nature of justice, the forms of good government, the distribution of wealth, and the distribution of power among genders and social classes.

"Gagarin and Woodruff have made a selection so generous that one could easily carve out one's more limited selections, according to one's special theme or purpose...this volume deserves a cordial welcome." Trevor J. Saunders, Canadian Philosophical Review "Because of its wide range of materials included and the helpful editorial additions, this is an extremely valuable anthology, certainly the best in its field. It would be an excellent text to use in courses on ancient political thought." R.K., Ethics