Mass and Elite in the Greek and Roman Worlds ─ From Sparta to Late Antiquity

Ancient society in Greece and Rome can be characterised as the interaction of the mass and the elite in both social and political events. The elite is usually defined as prominent citizens and their families comprising the government class while the mass represents the greater body of citizens, for example the demos in Athens, which has varying roles, often minor, in the governance of the state. Yet there is a constant powerful force which makes both groups vital in the determination of policy and ultimately in the success or failure of their respective communities. This work highlights the defining roles, interaction, conflict or co-operation between the general body of citizens and elite figures within communities throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, allowing comparative perspectives on various periods and cultures from Homer to the late Roman period.

Richard Evans has taught at the Universities of South Africa and Cardiff. His research has focussed on the political and military history of Greece and Rome, and the ancient topography of Sicily and Magna Graecia. His publications include histories of Syracuse (2009 & 2016) and Pergamum (2012), a political biography of Gaius Marius (1994), Roman imperialism in the eastern Mediterranean (2011), and significant battles and sieges of antiquity (2013 & 1015). He is currently Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Biblical and Ancient Studies at the University of South Africa.