Amnesty and Reconciliation in Late Fifth-Century Athens

The Rule of Law under Restored Democracy

By: Christopher J. Joyce

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Paperback | 15 August 2024

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272 Pages

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23.4 x 15.6

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The Athenian Reconciliation of 403 BCE was the pinnacle of amnesty agreements in Greek antiquity. It guaranteed lasting peace in a political community torn apart by civil conflict, because it recognised that for society to cohere, vindictive action over crimes which predated the exchange of oaths was legally inadmissible.

This study analyses the historical circumstances which led to the fall of democracy at Athens in 404 BCE, the civil conflict which followed under the Thirty Tyrants and the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in 403 BCE. It analyses afresh the Reconciliation Agreement in the light of New Institutionalist perspectives, showing that the resurrection of democracy was guaranteed by the rule of law and by the strict application of the agreement in the democratic law courts. It offers fresh readings of the clauses of the Agreement and the legal trials which followed in its wake and shows that the Athenian example was the paradigm not only for amnesties in the ancient world but for those since the seventeenth century.

Industry Reviews

Christopher Joyce tells us a well-known story: the Thirty's capitulation, the interim government, the reconciliation, and the first steps of the re-born democracy. Yet, his fresh and thought-provoking take makes it impossible not to see this watershed moment in a new light: radical political change, Joyce teaches us, does not necessarily mean death of the nomos basileus.

--Carlo Pelloso, University of Verona

The Amnesty and the Reconciliation Agreement after the restoration of the democracy in 403 BCE form one of the most important developments in the history of Classical Athens. Joyce's book is a path-breaking contribution to our understanding of this crucial period. Joyce shows how after the oligarchy of the Thirty the Athenians restored the democracy by strengthening the rule of law. His analysis of the reforms takes advantage of recent work about key documents and the concept of 'not recalling past wrongs.' Joyce writes with passion and conviction.

--Edward Harris, Professor of Ancient History, Durham University

This reexamination of the Reconciliation Agreement implemented at Athens upon the restoration of democracy in 403 BCE is both timely and welcome. Joyce argues convincingly that its terms were neither limited in scope nor a short-term fix but a successful attempt at reestablishing principles of law and justice; an important study.

--James Sickinger, Florida State University

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