The Ideology of Democratic Athens: Institutions, Orators and the Mythical Past by Matteo Barbato (review)

Abstract

Barbato’s book offers a new analysis of Athenian ideology through the application of a New Institutionalist approach to the city’s democratic institutions as demonstrated by their use of stories from the mythical past. He argues for a middle ground between Marxist and culturalist understand-ings, characterising Athenian ideology as value-neutral, flexible, norma - tive, constructive