The Ideal Citizen in the Collective Perceptions of Athenians During the Classical Period
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Abstract
The collective perceptions of Athenians about the image of the ideal citizen during the classical period have been considered based on written sources (speeches of orators, epigraphy – epitaphs and honorific inscriptions). The representativeness of these types of sources is explained by the fact that they were aimed at the direct perception of Athenians, and therefore had to correspond to the social factors inherent in the collective consciousness (morality, customs, norms of behavior, etc.).
It has been noted that an essential element of the orators’ speeches was the characterization of the person who was to be justified or condemned by the dicasts: the person’s origin and upbringing; their moral and ethical qualities; proper and conscientious fulfillment of civic duties (political, military, economic); distinctions in activities for the benefit of the polis (both the individual and their family members). The honorific inscriptions are divided into two groups. The first group includes those that characterized Athenian citizens who held positions in the state administration. The decrees praise them for their virtue and justice shown towards the Boule and the Athenian people; for fulfilling their duties according to justice and laws. The second group comprises decrees honoring individuals for performing positions related to religious cults. Such officials were honored for their justice, love for the god and the Athenian people, and piety. It is pointed out that epitaphs on common graves of fallen arriors, similar to speeches, emphasized the valor and feats of the deceased. Inscriptions on the stelae of individual Athenian graves contained descriptions of the moral and ethical image of the citizen.
In conclusion, the author suggests that the characteristics of a citizen used in the orators’ speeches and inscriptions corresponded to the archetypal image of a virtuous citizen present in the consciousness of the Athenians.
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