SURVEY OF LITERATURE 1953—1955 495
The scope a n d i m p o r t of t h e question of t h e 'ancestral constitu-t i o n ' is here m a d e constitu-t h e s u b j e c constitu-t of a special s constitu-t u d y . The c o m m o n l y held view is t h a t each of t h e t h r e e political groups a t A t h e n s — t h e Oligarchs, t h e Moderates, and t h e D e m o c r a t s — p r o p o u n d e d its own version of the patrios politeia. B u t examination of t h e re-l e v a n t evidence shows t h a t t h e care-lre-l for a ' r e t u r n t o t h e ancestrare-l c o n s t i t u t i o n ' and t h e e m p l o y m e n t of a r g u m e n t s f r o m t h e consti-t u consti-t i o n a l p a s consti-t in consti-t h e policonsti-tical conconsti-troversies of consti-t h e d a y was parconsti-ti- parti-cularly connected w i t h t h e Moderates. This s t u d y of patrios poli-teia is, consequently, mainly a n e n q u i r y a b o u t t h e m o d e r a t e group in A t h e n i a n politics. I t involves discussion of several aspects of t h e m o d e r a t e t h o u g h t a n d p r o p a g a n d a other t h a n patrios poli-teia, t h o u g h it does not p u r p o r t to be a full and systematic expo-sition of t h e T h e r a m e n e a n p r o g r a m m e .
Chapter One is a s t u d y of K l e i t o p h o n ' s Rider a n d t h e t r a d i t i o n of Solon a n d Kleisthenes. C h a p t e r Two is a discussion of t h e con-cept of patrios politeia as employed b y the Democrats. The use m a d e of t h e 'ancestral c o n s t i t u t i o n ' in 404—3 B.C. is discussed in Chapter Three. The last c h a p t e r is a s t u d y of the mysterious 'Constitution of D r a k o n ' . This s t u d y of p a r t y politics f o u r hun-dred years before Christ is n o t merely scholastic, b u t of conside-rable fascination to all who are interested in t h e d a y - t o - d a y po-litics of our own t i m e .
This book will be also read b y papyrologists interested in pub-lic law.
T. S k e a t , The Reigns of the Ptolemies (Münch. Beitr. z. Papyrus-forschung 39 [1954].
Not seen.
T. C. S k e a t , The Last Days of Cleopatra (repr. f r o m Joum. Rom. Stud. X L I I I [1953] 98—100).
T h e a u t h o r f i n d s out t h a t 17 Mesore is t h e d a y of t h e d e a t h of Cleopatra. His t h e o r y , if correct, m a y shad some light of Octa-v i a n ' s policy in E g y p t . O c t a Octa-v i a n could quite legitimately haOcta-ve c o m m a n d his reign on 8 Mesore claiming t h e t h r o n e b y right of conquest. Alternatively he could h a v e d a t e d his reign f r o m Cleo-p a t r a ' s d e a t h on 17 Mesore. I n f a c t he did neither b u t waited for t h e E g y p t i a n New-Year's D a y t o proclaim his rule. His choice
