A01=Matthew K. Reising
Ancient Greece
Athenian Empire
Athens
Author_Matthew K. Reising
Category=JPB
Category=JPV
Category=JPVC
champions
comparative politics.
democracy
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
forthcoming
freedom
freedom of speech
Herodotus
kingship
Persia
Persian Empire
personal freedom
political freedom
political participation
political representation
republicanism
Sparta
tyranny
Product details
- ISBN 9781399558914
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 31 Jul 2026
- Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Herodotus and the Birth of Freedom examines Herodotus’ presentation of Persia in the History, arguing that Herodotus considered the Persians to be free rather than slaves and the Persian monarchs to be legitimate kings rather than oppressive tyrants. Matthew K. Reising offers a new interpretation of the History, supported by a variety of textual and archaeological case studies, drawing on research and secondary literature from across a range of disciplines, including comparative political theory, ancient Near Eastern studies, intellectual history and reception studies.
After making the case that Herodotus considered the Persians to be politically free, this book offers a comparative analysis of the diverging conceptions of freedom found in Greece, Persian, Babylonian and Egyptian sources, and argues that the comparison helps us to clarify the relationship of freedom to constitutional self-government, institutional accountability, political participation and civic equality.
Matthew K. Reising is an Assistant Professor in the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin
