Matthew Simonton
Biographic Data
| ID | 4587039 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthew Simonton |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matthew |
| FAMILY NAME | Simonton |
| SIGNATURE | SIMONTON M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Arizona State University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Ancient Greek Democracies
Classical Athenian democracy is rightly famous but democracy flourished in other parts of the Greek world as well. In this clear and fascinating book, Matthew Simonton traces the emergence, growth, consolidation and decline of democratic city-states over the millennium down to the fifth century CE. He argues for the widespread and highly participatory nature of democratic constitutions across the Greek world, particularly in the fourth, third, an…
Investigating the residential history of the Esplanada mass graves at Phaleron, Greece
Michael Gagarin. Democratic Law in Classical Athens
Teisamenos the Son of Mechanion
A Hellenistic inscription from Iasos prompts a reconsideration of the career of the Athenian politician Teisamenos the son of Mechanion. I first address some interpretive problems that have beset the study of this figure before turning to the new information from Iasos. I argue that we should understand Teisamenos as a "demagogue" as that term was coming to be known already in antiquity, with negative connotations. Finally, the physical form of T…
Two Notes on the New Croesus Epigram From Thebes
In March 2005 a rescue excavation uncovered a spectacular new epigraphic find from Thebes. Now on display in the Archaeological Museum of Thebes, a column drum 0.41 m in height has inscribed on it two identical epigrams, one (the older one) written vertically in Boeotian script and a second (later) Ionian copy written horizontally on the other side. Nikolaos Papazarkadas published the editio princeps of the epigram in 2014, using both inscription…
The Burial of Brasidas and the Politics of Commemoration in the Classical Period
A reexamination of the burial and heroization of the Spartan general Brasidas at Amphipolis in 422 in terms of political contestation between democrats and oligarchs invites broader theorizing about the political role of public commemoration in the Classical period. Forms of commemoration, including herocult, statues, and public burials, were often closely associated with political regimes, which might hope to promote their legitimacy and stabili…
The Local History of Hippias of Erythrai
Recent studies of local historiography in ancient Greece have overlooked the importance of Hippias of Erythrai, whose lone surviving fragment reveals complex processes of memory making and the politics of place. This article argues that Hippias should be understood as a participant in Early Hellenistic struggles between democracy and oligarchy, concluding with an exploration of how the historian's language interacts with the text and iconography …
Oligarchic Power-Sharing
This chapter focuses on institutions that governed relations among the elite of ancient Greece. It first considers the need for egalitarian relations among Classical Greek oligarchs before discussing the political mechanisms that secured equality among the members of the oligarchic community and satisfied their individual sense of self-worth, including the establishment of multiple veto points in the voting process, consensus-building, and the se…
The Politics of Public Space
This chapter examines the politics of public space in Classical oligarchies. The Greek elite had always claimed a special relationship with the city-center, often to the exclusion of those deemed “outsiders,” and controlled the polis's central political organs. With the introduction of a democratic constitutional alternative in the Classical period, fear replaced snobbery as the primary motivating factor behind oligarchic approaches to public spa…
The Manipulation of Information
This chapter examines how Classical Greek oligarchs manipulated information in the specific context of the polis. In ancient Greece, “official” information was capable of being monopolized and manipulated, depending upon how many people were present at the site of its original production and circulation. The chapter argues that it was characteristic of a successful oligarchy to restrict this primary audience as much as possible to the members of …
Processes of Regime Breakdown
This chapter examines the impact of stasis , or civil war, on the different types of political regime in ancient Greece as well as the strategic dynamics of oligarchic breakdown. Stasis posed a major problem for the Greek poleis, especially during the Classical period. Although some scholars describe the polis as a place of unity and strong civic identity, the ancient evidence shows that sedition, treason, factional infighting, and all-out social…
Classical Greek Oligarchy
Classical Greek Oligarchy thoroughly reassesses an important but neglected form of ancient Greek government, the "rule of the few." Matthew Simonton challenges scholarly orthodoxy by showing that oligarchy was not the default mode of politics from time immemorial, but instead emerged alongside, and in reaction to, democracy. He establishes for the first time how oligarchies maintained power in the face of potential citizen resistance. The book ar…
Classical Greek Oligarchy
This book thoroughly reassesses an important but neglected form of government in ancient Greece, the “rule of the few.” The book challenges scholarly orthodoxy by showing that oligarchy was not the default mode of politics from time immemorial, but instead emerged alongside, and in reaction to, democracy. It establishes how oligarchies maintained power in the face of potential citizen resistance. It argues that oligarchs designed distinctive poli…
The Local History of Hippias of Erythrai
Recent studies of local historiography in ancient Greece have overlooked the importance of Hippias of Erythrai, whose lone surviving fragment reveals complex processes of memory making and the politics of place. This article argues that Hippias should be understood as a participant in Early Hellenistic struggles between democracy and oligarchy, concluding with an exploration of how the historian's language interacts with the text and iconography …
The Burial of Brasidas and the Politics of Commemoration in the Classical Period
A reexamination of the burial and heroization of the Spartan general Brasidas at Amphipolis in 422 in terms of political contestation between democrats and oligarchs invites broader theorizing about the political role of public commemoration in the Classical period. Forms of commemoration, including herocult, statues, and public burials, were often closely associated with political regimes, which might hope to promote their legitimacy and stabili…
Two Notes on the New Croesus Epigram From Thebes
In March 2005 a rescue excavation uncovered a spectacular new epigraphic find from Thebes. Now on display in the Archaeological Museum of Thebes, a column drum 0.41 m in height has inscribed on it two identical epigrams, one (the older one) written vertically in Boeotian script and a second (later) Ionian copy written horizontally on the other side. Nikolaos Papazarkadas published the editio princeps of the epigram in 2014, using both inscription…
Oligarchic Power-Sharing
This chapter focuses on institutions that governed relations among the elite of ancient Greece. It first considers the need for egalitarian relations among Classical Greek oligarchs before discussing the political mechanisms that secured equality among the members of the oligarchic community and satisfied their individual sense of self-worth, including the establishment of multiple veto points in the voting process, consensus-building, and the se…
The Politics of Public Space
This chapter examines the politics of public space in Classical oligarchies. The Greek elite had always claimed a special relationship with the city-center, often to the exclusion of those deemed “outsiders,” and controlled the polis's central political organs. With the introduction of a democratic constitutional alternative in the Classical period, fear replaced snobbery as the primary motivating factor behind oligarchic approaches to public spa…
The Manipulation of Information
This chapter examines how Classical Greek oligarchs manipulated information in the specific context of the polis. In ancient Greece, “official” information was capable of being monopolized and manipulated, depending upon how many people were present at the site of its original production and circulation. The chapter argues that it was characteristic of a successful oligarchy to restrict this primary audience as much as possible to the members of …
Processes of Regime Breakdown
This chapter examines the impact of stasis , or civil war, on the different types of political regime in ancient Greece as well as the strategic dynamics of oligarchic breakdown. Stasis posed a major problem for the Greek poleis, especially during the Classical period. Although some scholars describe the polis as a place of unity and strong civic identity, the ancient evidence shows that sedition, treason, factional infighting, and all-out social…
Classical Greek Oligarchy
Classical Greek Oligarchy thoroughly reassesses an important but neglected form of ancient Greek government, the "rule of the few." Matthew Simonton challenges scholarly orthodoxy by showing that oligarchy was not the default mode of politics from time immemorial, but instead emerged alongside, and in reaction to, democracy. He establishes for the first time how oligarchies maintained power in the face of potential citizen resistance. The book ar…
Classical Greek Oligarchy
This book thoroughly reassesses an important but neglected form of government in ancient Greece, the “rule of the few.” The book challenges scholarly orthodoxy by showing that oligarchy was not the default mode of politics from time immemorial, but instead emerged alongside, and in reaction to, democracy. It establishes how oligarchies maintained power in the face of potential citizen resistance. It argues that oligarchs designed distinctive poli…
The Burial of Brasidas and the Politics of Commemoration in the Classical Period
A reexamination of the burial and heroization of the Spartan general Brasidas at Amphipolis in 422 in terms of political contestation between democrats and oligarchs invites broader theorizing about the political role of public commemoration in the Classical period. Forms of commemoration, including herocult, statues, and public burials, were often closely associated with political regimes, which might hope to promote their legitimacy and stabili…
The Local History of Hippias of Erythrai
Recent studies of local historiography in ancient Greece have overlooked the importance of Hippias of Erythrai, whose lone surviving fragment reveals complex processes of memory making and the politics of place. This article argues that Hippias should be understood as a participant in Early Hellenistic struggles between democracy and oligarchy, concluding with an exploration of how the historian's language interacts with the text and iconography …
Teisamenos the Son of Mechanion
A Hellenistic inscription from Iasos prompts a reconsideration of the career of the Athenian politician Teisamenos the son of Mechanion. I first address some interpretive problems that have beset the study of this figure before turning to the new information from Iasos. I argue that we should understand Teisamenos as a "demagogue" as that term was coming to be known already in antiquity, with negative connotations. Finally, the physical form of T…
Two Notes on the New Croesus Epigram From Thebes
In March 2005 a rescue excavation uncovered a spectacular new epigraphic find from Thebes. Now on display in the Archaeological Museum of Thebes, a column drum 0.41 m in height has inscribed on it two identical epigrams, one (the older one) written vertically in Boeotian script and a second (later) Ionian copy written horizontally on the other side. Nikolaos Papazarkadas published the editio princeps of the epigram in 2014, using both inscription…
Michael Gagarin. Democratic Law in Classical Athens
Ancient Greek Democracies
Classical Athenian democracy is rightly famous but democracy flourished in other parts of the Greek world as well. In this clear and fascinating book, Matthew Simonton traces the emergence, growth, consolidation and decline of democratic city-states over the millennium down to the fifth century CE. He argues for the widespread and highly participatory nature of democratic constitutions across the Greek world, particularly in the fourth, third, an…
Investigating the residential history of the Esplanada mass graves at Phaleron, Greece
Classical Antiquity Studies (11 works) · Democracy (10 works) · Law (10 works) · Political science (10 works) · Politics (10 works) · History (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Oligarchy (6 works) · Political economy (6 works) · Art (5 works)