Phocion

Good Citizen in a Divided Democracy

Thomas R. Martin

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English

Yale University
17 December 2024

Biography: general; History

Series: Ancient Lives

Thomas R. Martin recounts the unmatched political and military career of Phocion of Athens, and his tragic downfall

""Elegant and enlightening.""—Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal

Phocion (402–318 BCE) won Athens's highest public office by direct democratic election an unmatched forty-five times and was officially honored as a ""Useful Citizen."" A student at Plato's Academy, Phocion gained influence and power during a time when Athens faced multiple crises stemming from Macedonia's emergence as an international power under Philip II and his son Alexander the Great. Following Athens's defeat by Macedonia, Phocion unsuccessfully sought mild terms of surrender. Oligarchy was imposed on democratic Athens, and more than twelve thousand ""undesirable"" Athenians were exiled. When the oligarchic regime was overthrown and the exiles returned, dispossessed Athenians took out their volcanic anger on Phocion, who throughout his career had often been a harsh critic of the citizens' political decisions. His inflammatory rhetoric contributed to the popular conclusion that he lacked a genuine sense of belonging to the community he wished so desperately to preserve. When he was eighty-four, the Athenians convicted him of treason and condemned him to die by hemlock. In this fresh biography, Thomas R. Martin explores how and why Phocion ultimately failed as a citizen and as a leader. His story offers unsetting lessons for citizens in democracies today.

By: Thomas R. Martin
Imprint: Yale University
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9780300256635
ISBN 10: 0300256639
Series: Ancient Lives
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 17 December 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Thomas R. Martin is Jeremiah W. O’Connor Jr. Chair in Classics at the College of the Holy Cross. He is the author of numerous books, including Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. He lives in Sutton, MA.

Reviews for Phocion: Good Citizen in a Divided Democracy

“Set in the twilight of ancient Greece’s greatest democracy, this is a thought-provoking and highly readable account of an Athenian leader of high principle whose political style—and failings—still offer lessons today.”—Tony Spawforth, author of What the Greeks Did for Us “At a time when democracy is under attack both in the United States and abroad, Martin’s lively and penetrating account of the politician Phocion’s conflicts with the democracy of his native Athens makes timely reading indeed.”—Jennifer T. Roberts, author of Out of One, Many: Ancient Greek Ways of Thought and Culture