The Threshold of Democracy , livre ebook

The University of North Carolina Press - Josiah Ober , Naomi J. Norman , Mark C. Carnes

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172 pages

English

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The Threshold of Democracy re-creates the intellectual dynamics of one of the most formative periods in Western history. In the wake of Athenian military defeat and rebellion, advocates of democracy have reopened the Assembly, but stability remains elusive. As members of the Assembly, players must contend with divisive issues like citizenship, elections, remilitarization, and dissent. Foremost among the troublemakers: Socrates.

Sujets

Greece

History

Ancient

Histoire

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Publié par	The University of North Carolina Press
Date de parution	01 juillet 2022
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781469672342
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,1000€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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THE THRESHOLD OF DEMOCRACY
REACTING TO THE PAST is an award-winning series of immersive role-playing games that actively engage students in their own learning. Students assume the roles of historical characters and practice critical thinking, primary source analysis, and argument, both written and spoken. Reacting games are flexible enough to be used across the curriculum, from first-year general education classes and discussion sections of lecture classes to capstone experiences, intersession courses, and honors programs.
Reacting to the Past was originally developed under the auspices of Barnard College and is sustained by the Reacting Consortium of colleges and universities. The Consortium hosts a regular series of conferences and events to support faculty and administrators.
Note to instructors: Before beginning the game you must download the Gamemaster s Materials, including an instructor s guide containing a detailed schedule of class sessions, role sheets for students, and handouts.
To download this essential resource, visit https://reactingconsortium.org/games , click on the page for this title, then click Instructors Guide.
THE THRESHOLD OF DEMOCRACY
Athens in 403 BCE
FOURTH EDITION
Josiah Ober, Naomi J. Norman, and Mark C. Carnes

The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill
2022 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
The University of North Carolina Press has been a member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Cover illustration: Leo von Klenze, The Acropolis at Athens , 1846.
Wikimedia Commons.
ISBN 978-1-4696-7075-1 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4696-7234-2 (e-book)
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
Brief Overview of the Game
Prologue
In the Footsteps of Theseus
At the Dipylon Gate
At the Agora
At the Cobbler s Shop: With the Followers of Thrasybulus
At the Moneylenders Tables: The Socratic School
At the Barber s Shop: The Solonian Aristocrats
At the Potter s Shop: The Periclean Democrats
To the Pnyx
How to React
Game Setup
Game Play
Game Requirements
Counterfactuals
2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Chronology: Ancient Athens
The Foundations of Athenian Democracy
Greek City-States
Geography and Climate
Athens in the Fifth Century: Politics
Solon and the Solonian Constitution
Athenian Tyranny and Democracy
Anarchy, Cleisthenes, and the Rise of Democracy
Cleisthenes Reforms
Ostracism and Democracy
The Fifth Century: War and Peace
The Persian War
Marathon
Xerxes Attacks Hellas
Defeat for Both Sides
Between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
Pericles
The Peloponnesian War
The Archidamian War, 431-421
Nicias and Alcibiades
The Sicilian Campaign
The Last Phase of the War
The Final Siege
Post-War Destruction by the Thirty
The Other Athenians: Women, Metics, and Slaves
The Status of Women
Were Women Secluded?
Women and Religion
Metics in Athens
Legal Status
Periclean Citizenship Law
Metic Population
Slaves
Population
Slave Roles and Occupations
Slave Status
Rich and Poor in Ancient Athens
The Treasury of Athena: Finance and Economics
Conclusion
3. THE GAME
Major Issues for Debate
Reconciliation
The Political Status of Immigrants and Noncitizens
The Merits of Democracy
Free Speech
Power and Justice
Rules and Procedures
Winning the Game: Victory Objectives
Other Rules
Proceedings of the Assembly
Announcement of Agenda
Arriving at the Assembly Session on Time
The Pig Sacrifice
Pandora s Urn
The Debates Begin
Ensuring Clarity of Legislation
Supervising Votes
Inscribing the Law in Stone
Overturning Laws
Constitutional Issues
Graphe Paranomon
Ostracism
Retention of Leadership Powers
Disqualification for Reading Aloud
Dikasteria (Lawcourts)
How to Initiate a Trial
Laws and Legal Precedents
Selection of the Jury
Rendering the Verdict
Setting a Punishment
Punishment for Frivolous Prosecutions
Trial of Socrates: Special Procedures
Historical Context
Role of the Gamemaster
Advisory: How to Reclaim the Athenian Empire
Basic Outline of the Game
Phase I: Setup
Session 1: Introduction to Athens in 403 BCE: The Historical Context
Remaining Setup Sessions
Phase II: Game Play
Game Session 1: Reconciliation Agreement
Game Session 2: Electorate
Game Session 3: Social Welfare
Game Session 4: Trial Day
Game Session 5: Governance
Game Session 6: Remilitarization/Restoration of the Athenian Empire
Phase III: Postmortem Discussion
Writing and Speaking Assignments
Historians You Should Draw Upon in Your Writings and Speeches
Herodotus
Thucydides
Xenophon
4. ROLES AND FACTIONS
Overview of Factions
Thrasybulans
Periclean Democrats
Solonian Aristocrats
Followers of Socrates
Indeterminates
Public Biographies of Athenian Leaders, 403 BCE
List of Possible Players: A Fact Sheet
Thrasybulans
Periclean Democrats
Solonian Aristocrats
Followers of Socrates
Indeterminates
5. CORE TEXTS
Pericles
Funeral Oration , 431 BCE
Plato
The Republic , ca. 390-370 BCE: Part I
Plato
The Republic , ca. 390-370 BCE: Part II
Plato
The Republic , ca. 390-370 BCE: Part III
Plato
The Republic , ca. 390-370 BCE: Part IV
Plato
The Republic , ca. 390-370 BCE: Part V
Plato
From Protagoras , ca. 390-370 BCE
Plutarch
Life of Lycurgus , ca. 75-100 CE
Plutarch
Life of Cimon, ca. 70-100 CE
Xenophon
The Economist, ca. 400-350 BCE
Xenophon
From Hellenica , ca. 400-350 BCE
Selected Bibliography
Pronunciation Guide, Greek Names and Terms
Notes
Acknowledgments
THE THRESHOLD OF DEMOCRACY
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE GAME
The Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403 BCE recreates the intellectual and political dynamics of one of the most formative periods in Western history. After nearly three decades of war, Sparta crushed democratic Athens, destroyed its warships and great walls, and installed a brutal regime, the Thirty Tyrants. Their bloody excesses led to a brief civil war and, as the game begins, the tyrants have been expelled and democracy restored. But questions remain.
Is direct democracy, as Pericles conceived of it, an effective mode of governance? Should Athens retain a political system in which all decisions are made through open debate by an assembly of six thousand citizens? Should leaders and magistrates continue to be chosen by random lottery? Should citizenship be broadened to include slaves who fought for democracy and foreign-born metics who paid taxes in its support? Should Athens rebuild its defensive walls and warships and again extract tribute from city-states throughout the eastern Mediterranean?
Or should Athenian citizens listen to the critics? These include powerful landowners, who propose to replace the Assembly with a governing council, and the followers of Socrates, who advocate a governing elite chosen for its intellectual merit and philosophical disposition. Should Athens eschew imperialism and naval expansion and instead focus on agricultural pursuits?
After a few class sessions to set up the game, the instructor/Gamemaster will assign every player a role in the game. Most will be assigned to one of several political factions, ranging from the Thrasybulans, the radical democratic followers of Thrasybulus, to the more moderate Periclean democrats, to the conservative Solonian aristocrats (oligarchs), and, lastly, to the followers of Socrates. Each player will also be assigned to a position in the government by random lottery, some serving as Assembly President, others as magistrates (archons) in the court system, and still others as practitioners of various religious rites. Players win by achieving some or most of their victory objectives, which sometimes include secret goals and strategies. But the most reliable path to victory is to persuade others-especially undecided figures-to vote in support of your positions. Although undecided or indeterminate players are free to be persuaded on many issues, they will also represent Athenian constituencies and positions.
The debates are informed by Plato s Republic , as well as excerpts from the speeches of Pericles, an important democratic leader, the texts of Thucydides and Xenophon (who, though they may appear as figures in the game, have also provided written accounts of the recent history of Athens), and other contemporary sources. By examining democracy at its threshold, the game provides a profound basis for considerations of its subsequent evolution.
PROLOGUE
In the Footsteps of Theseus
In the dark you stumble. Your heart pounds. The Spartan ambush was on a night like this. Iron swords ripping into leather and flesh. A piercing scream. Arms frozen in terror. By the time you raised your sword they were gone. Was it one attacker, or ten? And then you stumbled, a body at your feet. A warm, sticky fluid oozed through your sandals. And then a soft, desperate panting. It was Euromachus, a childhood friend, a member of your patrol. By morning, the panting had stopped. There was a deep gash in his neck. He was dead.
But that was then, during the war. You force yourself to breathe. The war is over. The Spartans have gone home. You have tripped on a loose stone, not a body. The roads have probably not been repaired since the slaves ran off, when the Spartans occupied this part of Attica. With the city so poor, many citizens now perform tasks suited only for slaves. Think of it! Free women serving as wet nurses, your own mother selling trifles in the agora.
You get your bearings: Castor and Pollux remain high in the sky, but Taurus has begun to slide toward the western horizon. Taurus, the bull! Was the constellation named after the Minotaur, the monster that dwelt beneath the palace of King Minos of Crete and devoured the Athenian children? That was when Crete was a great power and Athens a mere vassal state, obliged each year to send a boatload of children