The 'Old Oligarch' - J. L Marr

'Old Oligarch' is a label often applied to the unknown author
of the
Athenian Constitution
preserved with the works of Xenophon. Probably written in the mid 420s B.C., it is the
earliest surviving Athenian prose text, and its author was
probably a young pupil of the teachers known as sophists. It is
an essay which replies to oligarchic criticisms of the Athenian
democracy by agreeing with the critics that democracy is
distasteful but arguing that it is appropriate for Athens as a
city whose power depends on the poorer citizens who row the
navy's ships, and that it is successful and could not easily be
overthrown. This edition provides a Greek text and English
translation, with Introduction, Commentary and Appendixes which
discuss the date, authorship and character of the work, the
historical background, the statements and arguments presented by
the author and features of the author's style.