Monarchy as “True Democracy” in Cassius Dio and the Second Sophistic Authors
Irony, Utopia, or Ideal
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20073000 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Konstantin V Markov (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Pages | 109-137 |
| Publication date | 2022-02-22 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | The Intellectual Climate of Cassius Dio (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/9789004510517_006 |
| OpenAlex | W4220955129 |
| ISBN | 9789004510517 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
Aelius Aristides, Flavius Philostratus, and Cassius Dio all at some point in their work refer to the power of Roman emperors as “people’s rule” (δημοκρατία). Most scholars assume that they refer to the same concept, but this paper argues that the authors refer to quite different conceptions of rule. Cassius Dio, through the speech of Maecenas, describes monarchy as “true democracy” founded not on universal equality of citizens, but dignity. This view may derive from the assumption (characteristic of Roman law) that the people delegated supreme power to the princeps and may form the common basis for the speculations of all three authors in question. However, their views diverge, especially those of Aristides and Dio: The former, a representative of the Greek provincial elite, concentrates on the interests of the provinces, while the latter, a high ranking Roman senator, conceives of monarchy as “true democracy” as a means of establishing a sort of mixed constitution
Art · Constitution · Democracy · Dignity · Elite · Literature · Monarchy · Political science · Politics · Utopia · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · History · Law · Organic Chemistry Synthesis Methods · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |