Ancient Athens as the “School of Hellas”? - Lecture by Margit Linder at UniGraz@Museum

In ancient tradition, the history of Athenian democracy begins with the mythical king Theseus, while Pericles in the 5th century BC is often regarded as the consummator of this political development process. Athens thus appears as the “school of Hellas” and a model of democratic order.

In her lecture, Margit Linder explores the question of how historically viable this image is. She examines the political, social, and societal conditions of Attic democracy and shows that political participation was clearly limited. Democracy is thus seen not as an ideal origin, but as a dynamic, conflict-ridden negotiation process—whose interpretations continue to have an impact today.