BRIBERY IN CLASSICAL ATHENS Kellam ... - Historia Antigua

Conover Bribery in Classical Athens Chapter Two
the next two sections will show, the figure of the dōrodokos can indirectly point us to an
answer.
Fundamentally, the story of the breakdown of patronage is about how politics
changed as the result of shifting meaning in the monies used to negotiate political
relations. As we have already seen, Cimon’s picture of two different economies—one
imperial, one patronal—negotiated by distinct monies that nevertheless assumed the same
valence could quickly break down. Indeed, the lines between the monies of empire and
patronage were often blurred. 41 Over the course of the fifth century, the Athenians
certainly created distinct financial accounts for these monies, like the Treasuries of
Athena and other gods, imperial monies, and public (dēmosion) property managed by the
kolakrētai, but in that case it is worth probing what was at stake in keeping such accounts
separate. 42 On what grounds were they distinguished, and why bother keeping the
accounts distinct in the first place? As Zelizer astutely points out, people tend to police
the boundaries between distinct accounts at precisely those moments when allowing the
accounts to blur would disrupt the meaning of the social relations they signify. 43 As
Athens’ relationship to her allies became increasingly hegemonic, then, Cimonian-style
patronage grew out of place in the democracy. This discursive shift was reflected most
vividly in the figure of the dōrodokos.
Nearly two decades after Cimon’s trial, in 446 BCE his accuser Pericles had to
explain at his own public audit what had happened to a considerable sum of public
41 For instance, Samons (2000: 54-70) notes how booty was often spent on public purposes, like soldier pay
(Thuc. 6.31.3) or public works, as when the booty from Eurymedon was used to finance the rebuilding of
the south wall of the Acropolis (Plut. Cim. 13.6), yet these same monies were also linked to Cimon’s
private beneficence, like clearing the Academy and planting gardens (Plut. Cim. 13.7).
42 The Athenians’ practice of maintaining distinct accounts has been vigorously championed by Samons
(2000: esp. 55) and Kallet (1998); we will return to this idea in the next section.
43 Zelizer (1994, 1996) and see above Chapter One.
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