Constitution of Athens

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Constitution of Athens

work by Aristotle

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June 24, 2026

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The Constitution of Athens is a work attributed to Aristotle that details the political system of ancient Athens. It describes the reforms that led to Athenian democracy, including the redistribution of powers from the Areopagus council to the Council of Five Hundred and popular law courts. The text also outlines the structure of the Athenian government, such as the Assembly (Ecclesia) and the popular courts (dikasteria), and discusses the criteria for citizenship and the composition of the demos. While the work provides valuable insights into Athenian governance, its historical accuracy and interpretation are subjects of scholarly debate.123

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papyrology
…was a manuscript of Aristotle’s Constitution of Athens, found by an American missionary in Egypt in 1890. New biblical manuscripts have also come to light, and the papyrus scrolls found in the Dead Sea area since the late 1940s have been an outstanding aid to the study of ancient Judaism…
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…was a manuscript of Aristotle’s Constitution of Athens, found by an American missionary in Egypt in 1890. New biblical manuscripts have also come to light, and the papyrus scrolls found in the Dead Sea area since the late 1940s have been an outstanding aid to the study of ancient Judaism…
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Thucydides
Subsequent fame
…in Aristotle, who, in his Constitution of Athens, describes the revolution in Athens in 411 and diverges in many ways from Thucydides’ account.
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…in Aristotle, who, in his Constitution of Athens, describes the revolution in Athens in 411 and diverges in many ways from Thucydides’ account.
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ancient Greek civilization
The distinctiveness of Athens
…in the treatise called the Constitution of Athens, attributed to Aristotle and found on papyrus in 1890. That document says much about the psychology of 411 bce and little about the situation in 621.
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…in the treatise called the Constitution of Athens, attributed to Aristotle and found on papyrus in 1890. That document says much about the psychology of 411 bce and little about the situation in 621.
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Aristotelianism
Aristotelianism from the 19th century
…most of the otherwise lost Constitution of Athens. European and American academies have sponsored the editing of ancient and medieval commentaries and translations in Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew. Historical, philological, and philosophical exegesis has explored in great detail the contents and background of most of Aristotle’s writings. Translations of…
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…most of the otherwise lost Constitution of Athens. European and American academies have sponsored the editing of ancient and medieval commentaries and translations in Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew. Historical, philological, and philosophical exegesis has explored in great detail the contents and background of most of Aristotle’s writings. Translations of…
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ostracism
…said by Aristotle, in his Constitution of Athens, to have been introduced by Cleisthenes in his reform of the Athenian constitution after the expulsion of Hippias (c. 508 bc), but the first use of it seems to have been made in 488–487 bc, when Hipparchus, son of Charmus of Collytus,…
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…said by Aristotle, in his Constitution of Athens, to have been introduced by Cleisthenes in his reform of the Athenian constitution after the expulsion of Hippias (c. 508 bc), but the first use of it seems to have been made in 488–487 bc, when Hipparchus, son of Charmus of Collytus,…
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