Source edition
Aristotle. Aristotelis Res Publica Atheniensium. Kenyon, Frederic, editor. Berlin: Reimer, 1903.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work provides a detailed historical account and analytical description of the Athenian constitution, tracing its development and outlining its administrative and judicial systems in the 4th century BCE. The first half details the chronological evolution of the state through eleven constitutional changes, focusing on pivotal figures such as Solon, Cleisthenes, and Pericles, as well as turbulent periods like the Tyranny of Peisistratus and the Reign of the Thirty. The second half shifts to a systematic manual of the contemporary democracy, explaining the civic registration of young men, the selection of public officials by lot, the administration of the Council and the Assembly, and the highly complex, corruption-resistant jury courts. By blending historical narrative with detailed structural analysis, the work presents a comprehensive picture of how Athenian direct democracy actually functioned.