Athenian beliefs about revenge: problems and methods*

Abstract

In a short article published in The Classical Quarterly, Professor W.V. Harris questioned some of the opinions that I have put forward concerning revenge in Athenian society. His reservations presupposed certain methodological premises that he believes the researcher should adopt when dealing with ancient sources that reveal sentiments and emotions. In expressing the aforementioned opinions I criticised these premises by implication, but without dealing directly with the methodological problems surrounding the issue. Professor Harris's article has now provided me with an excellent opportunity to confront these problems explicitly and to examine how two different methods of analysis have given rise to diametrically opposed opinions concerning revenge in Athenian society. Revenge is a common human sentiment that is expressed in the individual's outward behaviour, influences social behaviour and has implications for society as a whole. The question of whether it was controlled and repressed or fostered and stimulated in classical Athens is of no trifling importance.