This study of the Athenian "strategia" is concerned with identifying the locus of military authority in the Athenian "polis," Consideration of the role played by generals in the deliberative and final stages of military expeditions and of the relationship between "strategoi" and their subordinates, colleagues, and the Athenian "demos" itself suggests that Athens' generals did not exercise significant authority over their city's military operations. Rather, the "demos" controlled its generals both by means of its direct involvement in decision-making related to campaigns and by establishing in Athens a climate of fear which was very often sufficient to dissuade generals from acting in opposition to the Athenians' will. This volume is important reading for anyone who is interested in ancient military history or the question of sovereignty in Athens.
Mother of two and some-time writer: I am the author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece. (See tryingneaira.com for information.) I also have a new book coming out in the fall of 2012 with the Johns Hopkins University Press:
READING HERODOTUS: A GUIDED TOUR THROUGH THE WILD BOARS, DANCING SUITORS, AND CRAZY TYRANTS OF THE HISTORY
For more information see http://www.dhamel.com. The blog posts in my profile are from thetwitterherodotus.com. Since October 29, 2010 I've been tweeting (twitter.com/iHerodotus) The History, one 140-character tweet per day. The tweets are also posted on the web site.
