BRIBERY IN CLASSICAL ATHENS Kellam ... - Historia Antigua

Conover Bribery in Classical Athens Introduction
and finally to a traitor in the last half century of the democracy (Chapter Four). As will
be clear, by focusing on changing social relations and the obligations that inhere therein,
we are forced to frame the intent of the dōrodokos in a very different light. Rather than
behave like a rational actor pursuing his own (financial) utility, the dōrodokos emerges as
a bad friend unsuccessfully negotiating a range of different relationships, in particular his
‘friendship’ with the community itself. In these cases, the ‘motivation’ we seek to
explain is not so much why a given individual violated a norm for personal gain as why
he failed to frame his actions in those terms.
This was true of Timagoras, who delicately balanced relationships with Leon,
Pelopidas, and the Persian King, in addition to his civic ‘friendship’ with the Athenian
people. Hence, contemporary accounts of the embassy focused intensely on the
friendships forged and broken in Susa. Timagoras effectively renounced his personal
friendship with Leon (a major reason for his subsequent trial) and in doing so signaled
that he was renouncing his friendship with Athens, too. In addition, the details of
Xenophon’s and Demosthenes’ versions suggest that Timagoras may also have been
thought to have conspired with Pelopidas and the King: this would explain why
Timagoras “testified on behalf of” Pelopidas’ speech and why the King subsequently held
Timagoras in such high esteem (sunemartu/rei, Xen. Hell. 7.1.35). On this
reconstruction, for Timagoras’ critics, the danger he posed was that he was actively
colluding with political friends outside the city in order to do damage to the city itself.
As Plutarch notes, the gift given by the King was not in itself considered bad, but the
exchange was blamed because of the collusion and treason it concealed. For all we
know, however, Timagoras simply viewed things differently: he might have thought
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