Boss or Bargain? Two pathways from social crisis

07.05.2026 18:15 – 19:30

The lecture will consider of two roughly contemporary incidents, related by ancient Greek writers: Herodotus on the elevation of Deioces to the kingship of the Medes and Aristotle and Plutarch on Solon’s arbitration and lawmaking at Athens in 594 BCE. In both cases, an impending social crisis was avoided through a political process. But in the Medes’ case, the result was tyranny, in the Athenians' case the groundwork was laid for democracy. The choice of tyranny or collective self-government in a time of social crisis, is one example of how the study of classical history can shed light on our contemporary political circumstances.

In 2025, prof. Ober recieved the Balzan Prize for Classics For his groundbreaking research on the origins and functioning of Athenian democracy in classical times, which has had an influence far beyond the academic world : https://www.balzan.org/en/josiah-ober

Lieu

Bâtiment: Uni Mail

Uni Mail, salle MR290
The conference will be followed by refreshments.

entrée libre