Herodes Attikos and the city of Athens

Herodes Attikos teacher orator millionaire is perhaps best known for themany buildings and sculptures he erected in Greece Italy and Asia Minor. Noarea benefite... » 

Herodes Attikos teacher orator millionaire is perhaps best known for themany buildings and sculptures he erected in Greece Italy and Asia Minor. Noarea benefited more than his native Athens where his munificence rebuilt thePanathenaic Stadium constructed the Odeion on the slopes of the Acropolis andfunded many public festivals. In addition to these donations his position asthe wealthiest citizen in Athens as well as his ties to the imperial familygave him political power in the city agai nst which the Athenians at timesrebelled. His generosity bred gratitude while his wealth and power bredresentment. This book examines Herodes relationship with Athens through thestudy of the buildings statues and inscriptions he funded there. While itdelves into the motives and mechanisms of his benefactions it also highlightsthe political and social currents in Athens of the second century AD. «