Wednesday, 28 October 2009
The law in 4th century Athens
Yesterday, I gave a short talk on From Democrats to Kings to an inter-disciplinary body of Cambridge graduates and academics at the Darwin College Art and Humanities lunch time seminar. The topic I decided to focus on was how Athens sought to put itself back on its feet after the debilitating period of revolution it suffered in 404-403BC - right at the beginning of the period covered by my book. What emerged from the talk, and more particularly from the discussion, was the importance of the development of the power of the law within Athens' democratic system in the aftermath of the revolution and the reinstatement of democracy. Specialists in law in the audience were throwing light on the cross-cultural phenomenon of a constant tussle between the organs of law and the organs of political activity within different societies across history. It became clear that one of the most important things Athens did was not necessarily to make law after the revolution, but to make the law they had more visible and more easily involved in civil discourse. This was combined with the building of new law courts, which increasingly through the 4th century, became the place for conducting both legal and political disputes.
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Cambridge Launch and History Today Magazine
Last night, we gathered at the Heffers bookshop on Trinity Street in Cambridge to raise a glass of wine to the launch of From Democrats to Kings. About 80+ people, including Prof Paul Cartledge, Prof Anthony Snograss, Master of Darwin Willy Brown and acclaimed writer Charles Freeman came to listen to me give a 15 min discussion of the book's aims, its highlights and its place in the continuing wider debate about the ancient world. My thanks to Heffers for helping organising a most enjoyable evening and to everyone for coming. It was a great pleasure in particular to see so many undergraduate students at the event - both those who I have lectured in the past (and whose questions helped in the thought processes for this book) and those who I will be lecturing later on this year.
Today, I have an article appearing in History Today magazine. This article looks specifically at how the period of turbulent change in the 4th centurt BC affected the position of women in ancient society. I argue that the stresses and strains of the century brought a good number of new opportunities for women, across the Greek world, to take on new and important roles, which foreshadowed their more habitual rise to power in the Hellenistic period (which ended with the most famous woman ruler of them all Cleopatra of Egypt). History Today is available in W H Smiths and other good newsagents now.
In the next couple of weeks, I will be taking From Democrats to Kings on the road, talking about the book to school children from the ages of 10-18 in schools from London to Nottingham. I cant wait to hear their questions which are often fantastically insightful! In my last school encounter, I was asked why Clytemnestra, instead of killing her husband, had not gone to a therapy counsellor? Why not indeed!
Today, I have an article appearing in History Today magazine. This article looks specifically at how the period of turbulent change in the 4th centurt BC affected the position of women in ancient society. I argue that the stresses and strains of the century brought a good number of new opportunities for women, across the Greek world, to take on new and important roles, which foreshadowed their more habitual rise to power in the Hellenistic period (which ended with the most famous woman ruler of them all Cleopatra of Egypt). History Today is available in W H Smiths and other good newsagents now.
In the next couple of weeks, I will be taking From Democrats to Kings on the road, talking about the book to school children from the ages of 10-18 in schools from London to Nottingham. I cant wait to hear their questions which are often fantastically insightful! In my last school encounter, I was asked why Clytemnestra, instead of killing her husband, had not gone to a therapy counsellor? Why not indeed!
Friday, 16 October 2009
BBC Histoy Magazine - pod cast is live!
BBC History Magazine website now contains a pod-cast interview on From Democrats to Kings: listen to the most in-depth interview yet on my new book, and see which places in Greece I would recommend as unmissable on your next tour!
http://www.bbchistorymagazine.com/podcast/bbc-history-magazine-october-2009-part-2
http://www.bbchistorymagazine.com/podcast/bbc-history-magazine-october-2009-part-2
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Putting the 4th century BC in the spotlight!
Today, TA NEA in Greece printed my responses to the articles circulated in the Greek press last week regarding my new book From Democrats to Kings.
Today's article consists of interview responses from me to a range of questions including what the book seeks to accomplish, what it says about Alexander and the Spartans, as well as what I understand the study of history to be about. The article can be seen here:
http://www.tanea.gr/default.asp?pid=2&ct=4&artid=4541082
I am hoping that Proto Thema will also be running an interview with me this coming Sunday.
In the meantime, it appears that From Democrats to Kings has been reaching the news in countries from Brazil all the way to Russia. It seems that finally the 4th century BC is getting the attention it deserves as we seek to understand the crucial moments of the ancient world.
That debate continues here in Cambridge too - I was discussing this week with one of the Faculty's PhD students about her work on Lycurgus and the importance of theatre in Athens during the second half of the 4th century. Her work is really bringing into focus just how much Athens tried to put the cultural trump card of theatre and Attic tragedy at the centre of their attempts to stay ahead of everyone else in Greece at this time - particularly Macedon who were trying to claim the playwright Euripides as one of their own.
I will be talking about my book From Democrats to Kings at Heffers, Trinity St, Cambridge on 21st October at 6.30pm. Tickets available from Heffers - where I hope these discussions will only continue to flower!
Today's article consists of interview responses from me to a range of questions including what the book seeks to accomplish, what it says about Alexander and the Spartans, as well as what I understand the study of history to be about. The article can be seen here:
http://www.tanea.gr/default.asp?pid=2&ct=4&artid=4541082
I am hoping that Proto Thema will also be running an interview with me this coming Sunday.
In the meantime, it appears that From Democrats to Kings has been reaching the news in countries from Brazil all the way to Russia. It seems that finally the 4th century BC is getting the attention it deserves as we seek to understand the crucial moments of the ancient world.
That debate continues here in Cambridge too - I was discussing this week with one of the Faculty's PhD students about her work on Lycurgus and the importance of theatre in Athens during the second half of the 4th century. Her work is really bringing into focus just how much Athens tried to put the cultural trump card of theatre and Attic tragedy at the centre of their attempts to stay ahead of everyone else in Greece at this time - particularly Macedon who were trying to claim the playwright Euripides as one of their own.
I will be talking about my book From Democrats to Kings at Heffers, Trinity St, Cambridge on 21st October at 6.30pm. Tickets available from Heffers - where I hope these discussions will only continue to flower!
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Read the book!
I have been away from my computer for much of today traveling to Guildford, where I was talking about the ancient world with the school children of RGS. We had some fascinating conversations about the nature of death and death ritual in ancient Greece and Rome. This was followed by a discussion interview with BBC radio Wales (from the BBC Surrey studio!) about D2K
As a result, I have not had a chance to respond to yet more press that has come out today about From Democrats to Kings. Today the Greek newspapers TO VIMA and TA NEA, as well as apparently Greek radio, covered the book. Or rather they covered the Independent on Sunday journalist’s article about the book.
This is becoming something akin to Chinese Whispers. I have already laid out how the Independent article mis-represented the arguments in the book (see earlier blogs). Both Greek newspapers responded to the Indy’s arguments – without giving me a chance to say myself what my book is really about.
TA NEA then asked respected academics to respond to the Indy’s arguments – quite rightly they both were sceptical. But both also had the good sense to preface their comments with “I have not read the book itself”.
This is KEY. I am more than happy to debate and discuss the arguments I put forward in my book – as long as those are the arguments we are debating, NOT what somebody THINKS those arguments are which are then debated AS IF they were mine!
The solution is simple. Allow people to read the book and then let us have a proper debate, or at the very least ask me direct what my views are!
That at least is what TA NEA have agreed to do - I will be replying to their questions in a newspaper interview in the next couple of days.
But in the meantime, let me restate my case:
I do NOT “call into question the values and accomplishments of ancient Greece” as TO VIMA puts it. My goal in writing about this period is to put that great and complex world front and centre in people’s minds.
I do not say in the book that Isocrates “betrays” his city – I look at how Isocrates, just like the city of Athens, was affected by the transition in power within Greece towards the Macedonian kings.
I do not “dismiss” Alexander at all – the first family of Macedon gets a good deal of attention in my book and rightly so because they are crucially important for understanding the story of ancient Greece. I do not claim that Alexander’s successes were “exclusively” due to his father nor do I mean to insult him by pointing out the importance of his close relationship with his mother.
I do not call Leonidas’ 300 “thugs”. I am looking at the actions of Sparta about a 100 years about Leonidas’ time, when Sparta’s warrior men were supposed to be acting as peace-keepers – a job all the ancient sources agree they did not do very well at all.
From Democrats to Kings puts the spotlight on an important period of Greek history which, though well known to specialists, has not yet been, I believe, part of the wider public debate: not just democratic Athens or Alexander the Great, but how you get from one to the other in a single lifetime. That is the book’s purpose – pure and simple!
As a result, I have not had a chance to respond to yet more press that has come out today about From Democrats to Kings. Today the Greek newspapers TO VIMA and TA NEA, as well as apparently Greek radio, covered the book. Or rather they covered the Independent on Sunday journalist’s article about the book.
This is becoming something akin to Chinese Whispers. I have already laid out how the Independent article mis-represented the arguments in the book (see earlier blogs). Both Greek newspapers responded to the Indy’s arguments – without giving me a chance to say myself what my book is really about.
TA NEA then asked respected academics to respond to the Indy’s arguments – quite rightly they both were sceptical. But both also had the good sense to preface their comments with “I have not read the book itself”.
This is KEY. I am more than happy to debate and discuss the arguments I put forward in my book – as long as those are the arguments we are debating, NOT what somebody THINKS those arguments are which are then debated AS IF they were mine!
The solution is simple. Allow people to read the book and then let us have a proper debate, or at the very least ask me direct what my views are!
That at least is what TA NEA have agreed to do - I will be replying to their questions in a newspaper interview in the next couple of days.
But in the meantime, let me restate my case:
I do NOT “call into question the values and accomplishments of ancient Greece” as TO VIMA puts it. My goal in writing about this period is to put that great and complex world front and centre in people’s minds.
I do not say in the book that Isocrates “betrays” his city – I look at how Isocrates, just like the city of Athens, was affected by the transition in power within Greece towards the Macedonian kings.
I do not “dismiss” Alexander at all – the first family of Macedon gets a good deal of attention in my book and rightly so because they are crucially important for understanding the story of ancient Greece. I do not claim that Alexander’s successes were “exclusively” due to his father nor do I mean to insult him by pointing out the importance of his close relationship with his mother.
I do not call Leonidas’ 300 “thugs”. I am looking at the actions of Sparta about a 100 years about Leonidas’ time, when Sparta’s warrior men were supposed to be acting as peace-keepers – a job all the ancient sources agree they did not do very well at all.
From Democrats to Kings puts the spotlight on an important period of Greek history which, though well known to specialists, has not yet been, I believe, part of the wider public debate: not just democratic Athens or Alexander the Great, but how you get from one to the other in a single lifetime. That is the book’s purpose – pure and simple!
Monday, 5 October 2009
Its been a fast news day!
No sooner had I set the record straight from the article in the Independent on Sunday but the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail come out with equally extreme versions of the Indy's argument!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6259500/Ancient-myths-threatened-by-new-book.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218082/How-Alexander-mummys-boy.html#
My book doesnt "threaten" ancient myths and I am not "shattering" ancient legends - my point is to explore them! From reading these articles you would feel that I was single-handedly bringing down ancient Greece and grinding it into the dust under my heel! Nothing could be further from the truth - by writing about it, I want to build up its reputation and importance, not destroy it!
Thankfully there seem to be some level-headed commentators out there who have added their voices to the on-line articles - with perhaps the best comment being this: "lets reserve judgement on what the book really says till we read the book" I couldn't agree more - read the book and you will see the esteem in which I hold the ancient world!
Hopefully that came across also in my discussion of the book on this morning's radio 4 Today Programme:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mztyd/Today_05_10_2009/
Simon Jenkins, Guardian columnist and I were discussing the arguments in the book - particularly thinking about the relevance the example of 4th century Athens has for the 21st century.
Was very happy to see that people were taking the on-line commentators' advice to read the book: at close of play it had risen to 195th bestselling book on amazon.co.uk!
Lets put the ancient Greeks where they deserve to be: front and centre of our attentions!
No sooner had I set the record straight from the article in the Independent on Sunday but the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail come out with equally extreme versions of the Indy's argument!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6259500/Ancient-myths-threatened-by-new-book.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218082/How-Alexander-mummys-boy.html#
My book doesnt "threaten" ancient myths and I am not "shattering" ancient legends - my point is to explore them! From reading these articles you would feel that I was single-handedly bringing down ancient Greece and grinding it into the dust under my heel! Nothing could be further from the truth - by writing about it, I want to build up its reputation and importance, not destroy it!
Thankfully there seem to be some level-headed commentators out there who have added their voices to the on-line articles - with perhaps the best comment being this: "lets reserve judgement on what the book really says till we read the book" I couldn't agree more - read the book and you will see the esteem in which I hold the ancient world!
Hopefully that came across also in my discussion of the book on this morning's radio 4 Today Programme:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mztyd/Today_05_10_2009/
Simon Jenkins, Guardian columnist and I were discussing the arguments in the book - particularly thinking about the relevance the example of 4th century Athens has for the 21st century.
Was very happy to see that people were taking the on-line commentators' advice to read the book: at close of play it had risen to 195th bestselling book on amazon.co.uk!
Lets put the ancient Greeks where they deserve to be: front and centre of our attentions!
Sunday, 4 October 2009
This sunday (4th October) we had a news piece in the Independent on Sunday focusing on the myth-busting aspects of From Democrats to Kings http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/myth-of-ancient-greeces-heroes-blown-away-1797473.html
I was thrilled of course that the book was picked up and that the ancient world made it on to page 15 of the Indy - especially in conference party season! The tenor of the article was myth-busting. The Spartans were accused of being "thugs". My book does not call them such. Following the ancient sources, as well as several other respected scholars, I make the point solely that the Spartans were not very diplomatic in exerting their control of Greece at the beginning of the 4th century BC (100 years or so after the 300 at Thermopylae) and that many other Greek cities resented their un-diplomatic approaches.
The article went on to look at the reputation of Alexander the Great. Here I fear the journalist may have beefed up the text with some hype - while I think there is a case to be made for Alexander having a close relationship with his mother, that doesnt take away from his achievements in his own right. He certainly is not "dismissed" from my narrative as a result - 3-4 chapters are all about the first family of Macedon in my book! Nor were his successes "merely opportunistic exploitation of...his father". Sure again I think the role of Alexander's father, Philip, in making Macedon such a powerful force to be reckoned with has been understated BUT it takes two to tango! Alexander could not have launched such a campaign if Philip had not put the Macedonian house in order and equally Philip's re-organisation of Macedon and conquests of Greece would have gone nowhere after his death if it had not been for the ambition and skill of his son.
Isocrates doesnt "suffer under scrutiny" - in fact he has been suffering from not enough scrutiny in recent years! After all, who amongst the wider general audience (as opposed to academic specialists) has heard of Isocrates - and YET he was an incredibly important figure who wrote about the changing world around him and sums up the change from Democrats to Kings - a very painful transition for a man so in love with his home city Athens!
Last but not least, I would never "kick" Athens - ancient or modern! What I wanted to do was show how it was not direct confrontational war that kills Athenian democracy, its the strains and stresses of a fast changing century that make its system implode and force it, eventually, to accept a dictator. Equally I do think that the golden reputation of Athens as a place of peaceful philosophical dialogue and ever clean togas (or rather chitons) needs to be tarnished with a bit more mud and blood - Athens could be a very unpleasant place to be - just ask the number of politicains executed by the ancient Athenian assembly!
The story of D2K offers an example of a world in fast, brutal change - an example we could do well to think about some more in our own turbulent times!
I was thrilled of course that the book was picked up and that the ancient world made it on to page 15 of the Indy - especially in conference party season! The tenor of the article was myth-busting. The Spartans were accused of being "thugs". My book does not call them such. Following the ancient sources, as well as several other respected scholars, I make the point solely that the Spartans were not very diplomatic in exerting their control of Greece at the beginning of the 4th century BC (100 years or so after the 300 at Thermopylae) and that many other Greek cities resented their un-diplomatic approaches.
The article went on to look at the reputation of Alexander the Great. Here I fear the journalist may have beefed up the text with some hype - while I think there is a case to be made for Alexander having a close relationship with his mother, that doesnt take away from his achievements in his own right. He certainly is not "dismissed" from my narrative as a result - 3-4 chapters are all about the first family of Macedon in my book! Nor were his successes "merely opportunistic exploitation of...his father". Sure again I think the role of Alexander's father, Philip, in making Macedon such a powerful force to be reckoned with has been understated BUT it takes two to tango! Alexander could not have launched such a campaign if Philip had not put the Macedonian house in order and equally Philip's re-organisation of Macedon and conquests of Greece would have gone nowhere after his death if it had not been for the ambition and skill of his son.
Isocrates doesnt "suffer under scrutiny" - in fact he has been suffering from not enough scrutiny in recent years! After all, who amongst the wider general audience (as opposed to academic specialists) has heard of Isocrates - and YET he was an incredibly important figure who wrote about the changing world around him and sums up the change from Democrats to Kings - a very painful transition for a man so in love with his home city Athens!
Last but not least, I would never "kick" Athens - ancient or modern! What I wanted to do was show how it was not direct confrontational war that kills Athenian democracy, its the strains and stresses of a fast changing century that make its system implode and force it, eventually, to accept a dictator. Equally I do think that the golden reputation of Athens as a place of peaceful philosophical dialogue and ever clean togas (or rather chitons) needs to be tarnished with a bit more mud and blood - Athens could be a very unpleasant place to be - just ask the number of politicains executed by the ancient Athenian assembly!
The story of D2K offers an example of a world in fast, brutal change - an example we could do well to think about some more in our own turbulent times!
Saturday, 3 October 2009
D2K is launched! At Daunts books in Holland Park on Thursday 1st, 150 people gathered to witness the official unveiling of From Democrats to Kings.
Daunts is a fantastic bookshop with a wonderful atmosphere - just the right place to celebrate the publication of this new history into one of the most turbulent periods of the ancient world.
There were school students, university students, bankers, lawyers, artists, tv execs and writers standing alongside lecturers, diplomats and speech therapists among a host of others to drink some fine wine, to get hold of their copy and to hear speeches by Simon Flynn, senior editor at Icon and the author.
For me - it was a great pleasure to welcome so many people and to take the opportunity to get across my message of not just how fascinating the ancient world is, but also how important it is for our world and for our future. As we stand in the midst of a series of elections around the world (Irish referendum on Lisbon treaty 2nd October; Greek elections Sunday 4th October; UK next year etc..) which will set the world agenda for the next 5 years at least, I firmly believe that we should take some time to reflect on what this tale of word change 2500 years ago can illuminate about our own situation, choices and outlook today.
The party continued until Daunts forced shut the doors (with happy smiles on their faces due to the number of sales) and the book-carrying revelers spilled out into the wilds of London to continue the celebrations.
Look out for the next book talk by Michael at Heffers, Cambridge on 21st October 6.30pm. Tickets strictly limited and available from Heffers.
See some photos from the launch here! Enjoy!
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