Xenophon on Government

Xenophon of Athens was a pupil of Socrates and a philosopher in his own right. He wrote two of the texts included in this volume, the Hiero (On Tyranny) and the Constitution of the Spartans. The third, the Constitution of the Athenians, is found under Xenophon\'s name alongside the other two in the manuscripts. The works represent three distinct types of government (the rule of one man in tyranny and kingship, the rule of law in the mixed constitution of the Spartans, and the rule of the masses in the Athenian democracy), but there are common features throughout. This volume presents an introduction discussing Xenophon’s views on government in the context of his general political thought, drawing particularly on his Socratic work Memorabilia, and a commentary on the Greek text of each work aimed primarily at advanced undergraduates and graduate students.

• First commentary on all three of these important works collected within a single volume • Provides extensive help with understanding the language of the three works • Offers an introduction to Xenophon’s political thought

General introduction; Introduction to Hiero; Introduction to Respublica Lacedaemoniorum (Lac.); Introduction to Respublica Atheniensium (Ath.); HIERO; RESPUBLICA LACEDAEMONIORUM; RESPUBLICA ATHENIENSIUM; Appendices.