This book, first published in 2000, is a general and comprehensive treatment of the political thought of ancient Greece and Rome. It begins with Homer and ends in late antiquity with Christian and pagan reflections on divine and human order. In between come studies of Plato, Aristotle and a host of other major and minor thinkers - poets, historians, philosophers - whose individuality is brought out by extensive quotation. The international team of distinguished scholars assembled by the editors includes historians of law, politics, culture and religion, and also philosophers. Some chapters focus mostly on the ancient context of the ideas they are examining, while others explore these ideas as systems of thought which resonate with modern or perennial concerns. This clearly written volume will long remain an accessible and authoritative guide to Greek and Roman thinking about government and community.

‘It would be hard to think how this superb collection of essays about Greek and Roman political thought could be improved. … There could be no better introduction than this collection of well-written, scholarly and absorbing essays.’

Source: Literary Review

‘It is impossible to do justice here to the sweep of this volume … It belongs on the shelf of every student of politics.’

Source: The Anglo-Hellenic Review

'… is nothing less than the very first general and comprehensive treatment of its subject in the English language … The broad and inclusive conception of [the book] is reflected not only in the range of authors discussed, but also in the heterogeneous authorship of the volume itself … It is not easy to do justice to a volume of this kind … There can be no doubt that this well-organized, accessible and carefully produced volume will remain one of the standard overviews of Greek and Roman political thought for years to come.'

Source: Arctos