The dangers of ambition in Ancient Greece : the case of Themistocles / Christopher Weimer.
ISBN
9781071940327 :
Publication
London : SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals, 2024.
Physical Description
1 online resource.
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Summary
Themistocles was an ancient Athenian leader and general who led the Greeks to victory in the Second Persian War. Following the conclusion of the war, he rose to political prominence. His ambitions eventually incurred the wrath of his fellow citizens, whereupon he was banished from Athens via the legal procedure known as ostracism, a legal procedure in which a person is voted out of the city and into exile for ten years. This case study examines the invisible boundary between admiration and envy of successful leaders. Students will evaluate the actions Themistocles undertook as he rose to power and examine the context and conditions that led to his exile. Students are further tasked to evaluate the very mechanism by which democratic societies can exile problematic figures, utilizing contemporary examples to illuminate both ancient and modern issues.