BRIBERY IN CLASSICAL ATHENS Kellam ... - Historia Antigua

Conover Bribery in Classical Athens Chapter Two
because they had assumed their political role as proxenoi in order to receive dōra. 6 The
i3na clause of purpose contrasts with the general’s own stated reason for engaging in
politics: he derives his glory from enriching the polis. 7 On the other hand, therefore, the
dōrodokos is negatively depicted as enriching himself instead of the polis. Note how, in
Cimon’s eyes, the difference between himself and the dōrodokos hinges not on whether
or not money was received, but on where that ploutos, once received, was then directed.
In effect, he evaluates the dōrodokos according to the path that the ploutos took; it is
ultimately the dora’s meaning within the domestic sphere of the polis that fixes the
assignation of dōrodokos or praiseworthy politician.
In tracing the path of the dōra, rather than their mere presence or absence in
politics, Cimon subtly points to two different political spaces they come to occupy. First,
the currency of proxeny relations, be that with Ionia, Thessaly, or Sparta, helps negotiate
Athens’ relation to other poleis. This is the realm of foreign politics, one marked in the
first half of the century by Athens’ rise as an imperial power under the auspices of the
Delian League. The second space is the realm of domestic politics, specifically the
relationship between individual officials like Cimon and the rest of the community.
Here, the particular ways in which Cimon acts as the polis’ patron by enriching it help
shape the meaning of the ploutos he acquires.
In other words, Cimon suggests, if we peel away the Athenians’ contemporary
concerns with the people’s political authority, we find that such authority was actually
6 Cimon’s choice of Ionia and Thessaly appears to be random, but it should be noted that Thessaly was
known for its wealth and merchants, and Ionia already had a reputation for bribery, if Craterus’ record of
the bribing of Aristides is to be believed (Plut. Arist. 26.1-2). Both regions, therefore, could have been
thought prone to bribery, as Cimon suggests. Of course, the authority of Plutarch and his source should be
taken with a grain of salt: within ten years, Cimon himself became a proxenos of Thessaly (and named his
third son Thettalos!). Plut. Cim. 16.1, Aristid. 3.515. Dindorff with Connor (1967).
7 Cimon was commonly linked to Athens’ wealth in this way: cf. Plut. Cim. 9, Them. 2.3.
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