Xenophon and Athenian Democratic Ideology*

The purpose of this paper is to consider those passages of Xenophon that illustrate certain fundamental doctrines of Athenian democratic thought, to determine the extent to which his views represent the norm, and to highlight any features that may betoken originality. It should, however, be noted at the outset that a number of the basic principles involved, particularly those that concern proper and improper relationships between the individual citizen and the community, are not exclusive to Athens or to democracy. Appropriately modified where necessary, they also occur in the little evidence we have for other cities and other forms of constitution. Therefore attention will be given in what follows to what Xenophon says not only about Athens but also about Sparta and the semi-mythical Persia of Cyropaedia.