BRIBERY IN CLASSICAL ATHENS Kellam ... - Historia Antigua

Conover Bribery in Classical Athens Chapter One
There were specific reciprocal obligations that defined a public official’s
relationship to the community. Under Solon a century before the democracy, public
office was conceived of as a tax, a contribution to the polity proportional to one’s
income: the more affluent the citizen, the greater his expected contribution and the more
important his role in the polity. 97 In this sense, public office was conceptualized as a
public service, a good work or benefaction, much like liturgies familiar from later in the
democracy. 98 Indeed, all would-be public officials had to undergo a public scrutiny, or
dokimasia, in which their legal qualifications were assessed and, crucially, their past
good works to the city were vetted. 99 The dokimasia ascertained that the reciprocal
relations between citizen and community had been well-established and would
presumably continue during that citizen’s tenure in public office. 100 Although the
Athenians did not conceptualize these reciprocal relations as a ‘friendship’ per se, it is
clear that the relationship between citizen and community was a reciprocal one constantly
negotiated by civic obligations. 101
97 Following Ostwald (1995: 374-6), who understands Solon’s ‘property’ (telē) classes as tax classes.
Finley (1977: 96-7) on the similar reciprocity between kings and communities in Homeric society; this was
part of a broader reliance on elite contributions to the polis in the archaic period, on which see most
recently Domingo Gygax (forthcoming: 91-107).
98 Xenophanes (fr. 2 DK) explicitly compares elite political wisdom to the benefaction of an athletic
victory: cf. Pl. Ap. 36d, Rep. 465d and see Doming Gygax (forthcoming: 110-15) for discussion. Not
coincidentally, in the second half of the fourth century, serving in public office was regularly awarded
public honors just as liturgies were: Whitehead (1983: 65) lists the sources. In the fifth century, too,
certain extraordinary successes in public office were rewarded exceptional honors: Themistocles was
awarded a statute in the Temple of Artemis Aristoboulē (Plut. Them. 22.2); commemorative herms were
erected in the agora for Cimon and the other generals at Eion (Aeschin. 3.183, Plut. Cim. 7.4); and Cleon
received proedria and sitēsis after Pylos (Ar. Eq. 573-80). It is more striking, however, how the
achievements of prominent leaders of the fifth century are characterized as elite benefactions: Sinclair
(1988a: 34-6), Schmitt-Pantel (1992: 179-208) are fundamental on this point.
99 MacDowell (1978: 168), Ostwald (1995: 325-6). Specifically, a candidate was asked whether he treated
his parents well, paid his taxes, and had fulfilled his military obligations (AP 55.3). Broader considerations
of goodwill towards the community could be brought up by accusers: see esp. Lysias 16, 25, 26, 31, all
presented at dokimasiai.
100 Adeleye (1983: esp. 30), Hansen (1991: 218-20); cf. Todd (1993: 285-9).
101 Plato’s Crito is fundamental on this point. Aristotle EN viii-ix, esp. viii.10-11 posits that the reciprocal
exchange relationship at the heart of political friendship—though not strictly philia—nevertheless exhibits
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