The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy

One of the hallmarks of Greek civilization was the polis-city-states that gave rise to the first democratic system of government. But was the polis of ancient Athens really the birthplace of what we now view as modern democracy? The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy presents a comprehensive series of essays that trace the Greeks' path to democracy and examine the connection between the Greek polis as a citizen state and democracy from a comparative historical perspective, and with reference to recent debates on the Axial Age and its impact on world history. Written collaboratively by an international team of leading scholars in classics, ancient history, sociology, and political science, essays address the interaction between democracy and forms of cultural expression in Athens during the classical period, the place and role of politics in the ancient Greek world, and the place of Greek democracy in political thought and debates about democracy throughout the centuries. Scholarly and thought-provoking, The Greek Polis and the Invention of Democracy offers illuminating insights into our links to the past while revealing ways that the concept of ancient Greek democracy has shaped-or not shaped-modern democracy.