The Athenian Nation

Challenging the modern assumption that ancient Athens is best understood as a polis , Edward Cohen boldly recasts our understanding of Athenian political and social life. Cohen demonstrates that ancient sources referred to Athens not only as a polis , but also as a "nation" ( ethnos ), and that Athens did encompass the characteristics now used to identify a "nation." He argues that in Athens economic, religious, sexual, and social dimensions were no less significant than political and juridical