Cleisthenes the Athenian
Subtitle: an essay on the representation of space and time in Greek political thought from the end of the sixth century to the death of Plato
By: Pierre Lévêque and Pierre Vidal-Naquet ; with a new discussion of the invention of democracy by Pierre Vidal-Naquet, Cornelius Castoriadis, and Pierre Lévêque ; translated from the French, and edited by David Ames Curtis.
Contributors: Vidal-Naquet, Pierre, 1930-; Curtis, David Ames.
Publisher: Humanities Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Atlantic Highlands, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 216
Subjects: Political science -- Greece -- History.; Space and time -- History.
Description: Two thousand five hundred years ago, in 507-506 B.C.E., the institutions of Athens were rocked by the reforms of Cleisthenes. With the regrouping of the Athenians into ten tribes, equitably distributed into the space of the city, and the separation of city time from the religious calendar was created the idea of secular civic space and time and the practice of popular government. Although the word did not yet exist, here was the foundation of democracy.

First published In French in 1964, Cleistenes the Athenian has become the classic study of the philosophical, political, and aesthetic background and significance of these reforms.

The book has influenced a generation of scholars in anthropology, sociology, urban planning, political science, philosophy and classical studies. This English translation contains the complete text of the original essay and is supplemented by a discussion among Vidal-Naquet, Leveque, and the philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis on the invention of democracy, as well as a new authors' introduction.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-196) and index.
Translation of: Clisthène l'athénien.