FATHERS AND SONS IN ATHENS Ideology and Society in the Era of the Peloponnesian War

Princeton University Press. Very Good+. 1997. Softcover. 0691015910 . Very minor shelfwear. ; Xv, 283pp. Father-son conflict was for the Athenians a topic of widespread interest that touched the core of both family and political life, particularly during times of social upheaval. In this vivid account of the intermingling of politics and the private sphere in classical Athens, Barry Strauss explores the tensions experienced by a society that cherished both youthful independence and paternal authority. He examines father-son relations within the Athenian family and the way these relations were represented in a wide variety of political and literary texts. His inquiry reveals that representations of patricide, father beating, and son murdering did not necessarily coincide with actual instances but rather served as metaphors for intergenerational tensions fueled by democracy, the sophists, and the Peloponnesian War. ; 283 pages .