greek-politicsfeatured in 30 works

Empire & Power

One state ruling over others — Athens' maritime archē and Rome's world-spanning imperium.

This concept covers one state's dominion over other peoples: the Greek archē (originally 'rule' or 'command') and the Roman imperium ('the power to command'). Thucydides (5th c. BCE) dissected the Athenian empire and the fear and self-interest that drove it, while Roman writers theorized imperium as legitimate command stretched across the Mediterranean world. Setting the two side by side frames a question that never goes away: is empire just rule, naked power, or both?

How it traveled

Histories
Thurii (Magna Graecia) · -425
explains
History of the Peloponnesian War
Athens · -400
explains
On the Peace with Sparta [attributed]
Athens · -390
explains
Panegyricus
Athens · -380
explains
Funeral Oration
Athens · -380
explains
Plataicus
Athens · -373
explains
On the Peace
Athens · -355
explains
Hellenica
Athens · -354
explains
Cyropaedia
Athens · -354
explains
For the Liberty of the Rhodians
Athens · -351
explains
To Philip
Athens · -346
explains
Second Philippic
Athens · -344
explains
On the False Embassy
Athens · -343
explains
On Halonnesus
Athens · -342
applies
Third Philippic
Athens · -341
explains
On the Chersonese
Athens · -341
applies
Panathenaicus
Athens · -339
explains
Antidosis
Athens · -338
explains
On the Crown
Athens · -330
explains
Against Ctesiphon
Athens · -330
applies
Fourth Philippic
Athens · -322
explains
Politics
Chalcis · -322
explains
Histories
Megalopolis · -118
explains
In C. Verrem
Formiae · -70
explains
Pro Fonteio
Formiae · -69
applies
De Imperio Cn. Pompei Ad Quirites
Formiae · -66
explains
De Lege Agraria
Formiae · -63
explains
Pro L. Murena
Formiae · -63
explains
In Catilinam
Formiae · -63
applies
Pro L. Flacco
Formiae · -59
applies

Key passages(20)

Polybius, Histories 1.2↗explains

Histories · Polybius