Abstract / Description of output
This article proposes a new interpretation of the figure of Aristides, the Athenian politician known as ‘the Just’. The study shows how Aristides’ fame was far from undisputed for the whole 5th century. Starting from the 4th century we find more evidence of his iconic attachment to justice: however, his reputation is always context-dependent and inevitably associated to Athens’ domination over the Greeks. It is only in distant sources that he becomes a moral paragon. But to his contemporaries, Aristides was never a symbol of virtuous and ideal justice: the notion of distributive justice effectively explains his questionable fame.
Translated title of the contribution | Aristides the Just and the Athenian arche: Justice in charge |
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Original language | Italian |
Pages | 5-33 |
Number of pages | 29 |
Volume | 148 |
No. | 1 |
Specialist publication | Rivista di Filologia e Istruzione Classica |
Publication status | Published - 31 Dec 2020 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- Aristides the Just
- Athenian empire
- distributive justice
- Demetrius of Phalerum
- Greek historiography
- Democracy