In his Bryn Mawr Classical Review of Jessica Paga’s book “The Construction of the Athenian Democracy,” Roy van Wijk, SNFS of Westfälische Wilhelmsuniversität Münster, states,
“A subtitle for Paga’s book should be ‘if these walls could talk,’ because talk they do, and in a wonderful manner.
“Jessica Paga demonstrates that we should be viewing building activity in Attica in the years between 508/7 and 490 B.C.E. as a coherent programme undertaken by the new regime — the ‘democracy’ after Kleisthenes’ reforms — to demonstrate physically that a new dawn had arrived in Athens.
“She does so in a nuanced, complex, and convincing fashion.
“Her methodology incorporates the archaeological remains in an exemplary manner, using them as the basis for her investigation of the early democracy, and placing them — rather than the limited literary sources for this period — at the core of the conversation.
“The book is especially strong in offering a balanced approach to the physical remains and the issues surrounding their interpretation.
“Lingering debates over the dating of these buildings are carefully treated, and nowhere does the author push the evidence too far.
“This leaves enough room for the reader to decide whether to accept the offered dating or not. The book offers an insightful analysis of a pivotal period in Athenian history.”
Roy van Wijk wrestles with the military capacity of the Athenians to repel the invasion by the Boiotians and Chalkidians in 507/6.
“While this victory can stand as a measure of the success of the new government of Athens, the question remains whether its military reforms had actually been implemented that fast.
“The need to defend against invaders could have prompted an initial response, with the specifics of deme registration or military allotment to a deme a later concern.
“This is especially true since the war probably lingered on after the Athenian victory. The military reforms could thus have followed a gradual course, adapting to challenges as they came along.
Various building projects “went hand in hand with the gradual development of democratic reforms to implement a new political order.”
Paga presents the evidence on the ground for the archaeological remains: the Akropolis, the Agora, the astu, and the demes.
According to van Wijk backed up by general agreement, “Investments were made in all these areas in order to establish the new democratic order, however slippery that term is at this early stage.”
In her second chapter, Paga explores how the Agora, the public space, was reshaped to embody the newly emerging democracy.
Fully aware of how remnants of the old can establish pedigree for the new, Paga makes the interesting proposition that the Doric columns were incorporated into the Agora entrance in order to grant an aura of sanctity to this “beating heart of the democratic order, especially because the columns served no particular structural function in the building.”
This observation “supports her argument that this gathering place and other sites in the astu were completed for the purpose of reinforcing the new order.
“The same applies to the shift of the Agora from its older location. The precise setting of the Old Agora is unknown, but the general location is placed near theIlissos river area, an area that witnessed a lot of Peisistratid investment.
“Moving from this location and its connotation with the Peisistratids, the move to the new Agora was meant to symbolise a new dawn for Athens, Attica, and its inhabitants and a break with the tyrannical past.”
Through insights deriving from the study of sightlines and viewing axes, Paga reveals how some of the new features of the democracy in the astu, such as the Pnyx and the Agora, were interlinked and intervisible, ensuring that the physical connection between the foundational blocks of the democracy was always before the public eye.
Remarkably, “When the people would assemble on the Pnyx, they could see the landmarks of the Agora with its democratic connotations at the same time as they were performing their democratic duties.
“It also physically demonstrated the functions of the democratic bodies; whereas the Boule (in the Agora) could provide the agenda to be decided upon in the Assembly, it was the latter that ultimately held the reigns.
“As Paga puts it, ‘The elevated position of the meeting place on the Pnyx visually reinforces this system of oversight.’
“The spatial connections further reinforced the coherence of the building programme. The connection between core and periphery was also ritualised in other ways, for instance in the procession that was part of the City Dionysia.”
According to van Wijk, “Paga demonstrates the democracy’s desire to articulate borders, unify the vast expanse of Attica, and invest in the political constellation that had arisen after the victory over the invading forces in 507/6.
“Investments in these demes were not just the result of local wealth or political importance, but also delineated and protected the border areas in the wake of the recent attacks by Chalkidians, Boiotians and Aiginetans.
“Paga interprets the expenditure for a new temple and substantial fortifications at Eleusis within this context.
“These changes to the Eleusinian deme’s landscape and sanctuary were a response to the precarious border situation and the recent capture of the deme by the invading armies.
“Building the fortifications aimed to safeguard the important deme, whereas the expansion of the temple not only reflected the growing stature of the Mystery cult, but also emphasised its role as a sanctuary belonging to the Athenian sphere and integral to Attica.”
Paga succeeds in suggesting that demes of minor importance for military purposes nonetheless received attention to strengthen the bonds within the Attic peninsula.
As van Wijk states, “Similar connections between building styles can be detected in places like Ikarion and Brauron, which implies the same builders and architects were at work here.
“This suggests that these buildings formed part of a coherent programme, in which similar styles aimed to form a visual connection between the various parts of Attica.”
In my view, these coordinated building projects, consonant in democratic architectural symbols, also raise the question of what type of economy would be most prodigious and reliable in planning and executing such apparent orchestration.
It is easy to argue that a concomitant free market capitalism was at work here, enabling competitive bidding, the organizing of site managers and work crews, not slaves, communication systems, correlated engineering plans, all to effect the harmony of the dawn of Athenian democracy.
Intriguing it is to imagine the phasing out of systematic slavery in favor of the economic development of free people, a boost in the trades and technical skills among the military especially, and the buying and selling of construction materials and tools, all to provide the boon of capitalism as eager partner in the contagion of democracy.
Mary Brown, a Main Line Media News columnist, teaches Latin at Saint Joseph’s University and serves as Executive Director of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States and President of the Philadelphia Classical Society.