The historiography on democratic Athens before George Grote - 04/05/2018, Edinburgh (Scotland)

The ways in which Athenian democracy and Athenian political thought have been studied and understood — their historiography — have varied enormously over the last few centuries. The English historian George Grote (1794-1871) is typically seen as a foundational figure for the modern understanding of ancient Athenian politics, and Greek politics more widely. However, over the last few years, scholars have begun to question Grote as the decisive figure and to search for other historians of ancient Athens, who pre-date Grote, and who made significant contributions to the modern understanding of this period in the study of ancient political thought. It has thus been suggested that the eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century histories of ancient Greece produced by Temple Stanyan, John Gillies and William Mittford are important in precisely this respect. This workshop will build on this research, but it will also transcend it by focusing, first, on the early studies of Athenian democracy in the Italian Renaissance, particularly on Carlo Sigonio (Mirko Canevaro). Second, on the development of the study of inscriptions, and on their growing role as evidence for ancient Greece, and Athens in particular (Peter Liddel). Third, on the importance of the German historian of philosophy Jacob Brucker and his Historia critica philosophiae (1742-44). Fourth, on the interaction between the progress of scholarship on Athens and eighteenth and nineteenth century politics and political theory (Matteo Zaccarini and Paschalis Kitromilides).

FECHA/DATE/DATA: 04/05/2018

LUGAR/LOCATION/LUOGO: 6th floor, Main Library, Centre for Research Collections, University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland)

ORGANIZADOR/ORGANIZER/ORGANIZZATORE: Mirko Canevaro (Edinburgh); Leo Catana (Copenhagen)

INFO: mirko.canevaro@ed.ac.uk

INSCRIPCIÓN/REGISTRATION/REGISTRAZIONE:

PROGRAMA/PROGRAM/PROGRAMMA:

10.00 – Welcome 10.20-11.00 – Mirko Canevaro (Edinburgh), ‘Carlo Sigonio, De repubblica atheniensium: The Renaissance beginnings of the study of Athenian institutions’ 11.00-11.20 – Coffee break 11.20-12.10 – Peter Liddel (Manchester), ‘Interpreting Greek inscriptions before Boeckh’ 12.10-13 – Leo Catana (Copenhagen), ‘The Historiography of the Athenian Democracy beyond Grote: The Significance of Brucker’s Historia critica philosophiae’ 13.00-14.00 – Lunch Break and time to see the exhibit 14.00-14.50 – Pachalis Kitromilides (Athens), ‘Greek political thought and modern ideas of liberty’ 14.50-15.10 – Coffee break 15.10-16.00 – Matteo Zaccarini (Edinburgh/Bologna), ‘The Athens of the north? Scotland and the national struggle for the Parthenon in the 18th and 19th century’ 16.00-16.30 – Further discussion and further time to see the exhibit