• Anonymus Iamblichi : A Positive Philosophical Account of Democracy in the Classical Greek World?

In this project, I address the fragmentary work known as the Anonymus Iamblichi, critically evaluating the source itself, and scholarly debate surrounding its composition and content. I argue that the text represents a positive account of democratic theory written in the late fifth, or early fourth centuries BC. Addressing first the rarity of positive philosophical accounts of democracy in the classical period, I aim to demonstrate the value of such a text for our understanding of the ideals behind ancient democracy. I then review standard methods of reconstructing ancient democratic theory, before moving onto the Anonymus himself. First, I address the challenge of placing the text historically, and philosophically, before breaking it down and providing my own reconstruction of its arguments; angled specifically at expounding the text’s unique democratic theory. I address a range of scholarly views in the process, focussing partially on European scholarship; the text having received limited attention in the anglophone world. Throughout the project I draw connections with the traditional canon of ancient philosophy and history in order to find potential meeting-points in a larger web of ancient democratic thought.