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Lecture series6 lectures

Political Crises in Athens and Rome

Professor Melissa Lane · Gresham College

Start with lecture 1 At Gresham College

About

When – and how – did Athenian democracy begin? There is no unambiguous answer to this question. This lecture explores one plausible origin: the popular uprising in 508 BCE overthrowing foreign invaders (who had previously expelled an Athenian-bred family of tyrants). In the aftermath of that revolution, the Athenians – led by Kleisthenes – reorganised their political system to foster new identities and interactions. As further political and social changes were made, Athenian democracy took shape in the imaginations of contemporaries and of later generations.

Lectures

  1. From Tyranny to Athenian Democracy 2025-10-16 · Audio
  2. Oligarchs and Their Discontents 2026-03-05 · Audio
  3. The Death of Athenian Democracy? 2026-03-12 · Audio
  4. Plato to Polybius on Constitutional Change 2026-05-28 · Audio
  5. Cicero In and On Political Crises 2026-06-11 · Audio
  6. The Death of the Roman Republic? 2026-06-18 · YouTube

Credits and licence

Institution
Gresham College
Speaker
Professor Melissa Lane
Year
2025
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Society and politics, History
Source
Gresham College
Licence
Educational use (Gresham College's terms), as Gresham College states it. Gresham College's terms
Attribution
Gresham College states: "We positively encourage the use of the Gresham College lecture transcripts, audio and video files for educational purposes. However, we do not allow use of Gresham College materials for commercial, personal or institutional gain."
Who can watch
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