What is it about?
This article discusses the portrayal of Athens in Athenian tragedy, arguing that other cities in tragedy experience trouble, and must be rescued by Athens or its representatives. Athens is then rewarded with the gratitude of those the city has helped. This portrayal reflects Athens' self-image during the time of its dominance in Greece in the 5th Century BCE, as a city whose power is only ever used benignly.
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Why is it important?
This article is useful to scholars of Greek tragedy, or the ideologies of the Athenian empire, or anyone interested in images of imperialism in literature.
Perspectives
Anyone interested in this article might also want to read my book-length treatment of the Athenian empire in Greek literature, "Drama, Oratory and Thucydides in Fifth-Century Athens: Imperial Lessons" (Routledge, 2020).
Sophie Mills
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Ektos sumphorās: Tragic Athens, Polis The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought, November 2017, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/20512996-12340124.
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