CHRISTIAN HABICHT. Athens. Istoriya goroda v hellenisticheskuyu epokhu [History of the city in the Hellenistic Era]. Moscow: Scientific Publishing Center "Ladomir", 1999. 416 p.

The book by the famous German historian and epigraphist Christian Habicht, who now lives and works in the United States, at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, describes the history of Athens in the Hellenistic era. The publication of this book is an extraordinary phenomenon in scientific life, if only because the previous history of Hellenistic Athens was written at the beginning of the XX century by J. Ferguson. Despite the abundance of scientific works on the history of archaic and especially classical Athens, historians of antiquity for a long time did not try to "take a swing" at writing a new history of Athens at the end of the IV-I century BC.There were quite understandable reasons for this: the almost complete absence of literary tradition, fragmented and fragmented epigraphic material. However, the brilliant epigraphist and source scholar Christian Habicht managed to overcome all these difficulties and write a complete history of Hellenistic Athens.

It is necessary to dwell on the complexity of translating Habicht's work, although it is designed for a fairly wide range of specialist readers. This translation was one of the last works of Yu. G.Vinogradov, an outstanding Russian epigraphist and historian of antiquities. Yu. G. Vinogradov deeply respected Christian Habicht, with whom he had a chance to communicate and work together at Princeton. A rare case in Russian publishing practice is that the translation was published less than four years after the original German edition and two years after the English one. For this, we can thank the Ladomir publishing house and the German Inter Nationes Foundation, which provided financial support.

The book is provided with a short introduction from the translator, an afterword by I. S. Sventsitskaya, a list of references, maps, genealogies of Hellenistic rulers, indexes of geographical names and names. All this makes it easier to get acquainted with the publication both for professional specialists and for a wide range of readers.

Chapter one, "Downwind of Macedonian Expansion (338-323)," deals with the period that ended with Athens ' loss of independence. The author draws attention to the construction activity that developed in Athens during this period under the leadership of Lycurgus: thus, the civil collective sought to demonstrate its viability, and after Alexander's death, Athens was ready for war against Macedonian rule. Chapter two, "Under Foreign Rule (323-307)," deals with the period of pro-Macedonian oligarchs, the brief restoration of democracy, and the ten-year reign of Demetrius of Falera. The author cautiously considers the question of the direct influence of philosophical schools on the law-making of Demetrios Falersky. According to Habicht, the Athenians had reasons for dissatisfaction with the" soft monarchy " of Demetrius of Phalerum, which influenced the ease of overthrowing his power.

The third chapter, "Between Freedom and Non-Freedom (307-287)," deals with the restoration of democracy in Athens under the auspices of King Demetrius Poliorketes, as well as the short period of tyranny of Lahar. The author managed to weave into one thread the intricate events of the military-political struggle in the Eastern Mediterranean during this period and show what impact they had on the Athenian state. The title of chapter four, "Culture in the public life of the city," speaks for itself. Throughout the Hellenistic period, Athens gradually lost its military and political significance, but remained the largest Greek and Mediterranean cultural center. Habicht emphasizes the importance of culture and cultural politics in the public life of Hellenistic Athens, specifically examines the development of theater, fine arts, and the influence of philosophical schools on the political life of the city.

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Chapter Five, "The Independent City (287-262)," describes the brief period of Athens ' independence, which was marked by the Chremonid War. The author opposes the idea of the "total" nature of the Chremonid War (as well as other ancient wars), pointing to the preserved honorary decrees with quite "peaceful" themes. Chapter six, "The Repeated Loss of Independence (262-229)," deals with the period when Macedonian rule over Athens was restored. Macedonian garrisons were now located not only in Piraeus, but also in Athens itself and in Attica. To reconstruct this rather dark period, the author uses both inscriptions and travel notes of Heraclides "the Cretan".

Chapter seven, "Freedom and Neutrality (229-200)," deals with the period of Athens ' independence after the death of King Demetrius II of Macedon. Independence was achieved peacefully and was preserved by maneuvering between the Achaean Union, Macedonia and Egypt. Despite the ardent desire of the Achaean strategist Aratus, Athens did not side with the Achaeans in their struggle with Sparta, preferring to remain neutral. But when the policy of neutrality could no longer ensure the independent existence of Athens, the city turned to Rome for help to oppose Macedonia. These and subsequent events are discussed in chapter eight, "On the Side of Rome (200-167)". Athens was even strengthened as a result, but only because of the weakening of other Greek states as a result of Rome's dominance in Greece.

Chapter nine, "Times of Peace (before and after 167)," deals with the foreign and domestic policy of Athens during the relatively peaceful development of the city in the second century. The author dwells on the problem of the Athenian coinage: drachmas and tetradrachmas of the "new style", which became widespread far beyond the borders of Greece. Chapter ten, "Athenian Delos," examines the island's transformation from an Athenian clerestory to an international trade center, analyzes the inscriptions of religious and commercial colleges on Delos, and traces the gradual weakening of Athenian influence on the island.

Chapter eleven, "Roman Hegemony," deals with the relationship between Athens and Rome during the period of Roman rule in Greece. The author examines the dispute over the ownership of Oropus, the associated "philosophical embassy" to Rome, as well as the relations between Athens and Delphi. 117-112 years, in his opinion, were the culmination of relations between Athens and Rome: it is no coincidence that in the Athenian decrees of those years, the Romans act as "universal benefactors". Chapter twelve, "At the End of the second Century, "analyzes Athens' foreign relations during this period (including with the Ptolemaic court), as well as the internal situation of Athens (based on inscriptions and dedicatory statues). Habicht notes that during this period, dedicatory statues of the Romans first appear on the Acropolis. The author revises the dating of the second slave revolt in the Lavrian mines and assigns it to the very beginning of the first century BC.

Chapter thirteen, "Athens and Mithridates," tells of the break between Athens and Rome, the city's support for the Pontic king Mithridates, which ended with the capture and sacking of Athens in 86 by Sulla's troops. The author examines the reign of Athenion and Ariston, as well as the question of the destruction in Athens as a result of the assault. Chapter fourteen, "After the War," analyzes the changes in the state structure, in which oligarchic elements are becoming increasingly visible. Famous Romans-Cicero, Atticus, Gaius Memmius and others-help the city, but Athens has lost its independent political significance forever.

Chapter fifteen, "Loyalty," deals with the situation of Athens during the civil Wars. The author considers the plebiscite of Clodius in 58 BC as a certain facet. As a result of the decision not even of the Senate, but of the tribune of the people, Athens was ruled by Calpurnius Piso, Caesar's father-in-law. A special section is devoted to the Romans in Athens; Hr. Habicht analyzes the inscriptions and on this basis reconstructs the significance of the Romans in the life of Athens in the II-I centuries BC.

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results of the development of Athens in the Hellenistic era, the importance of the example of Athens is emphasized. The city sought - as long as there was a real opportunity-to maintain an independent foreign policy, and gave shelter to exiles. The city has always remained a self-governing civic community and a leading cultural center in the Mediterranean. "His covenants are life-giving even in our days, which they will survive," the author concludes with this phrase (p.362).

The book has many advantages. The main one, in my opinion, is that it can serve as a reference book on the history of Hellenistic Athens. Habicht's conclusions are carefully verified and based on an analysis of sources. He seeks to compare any - often very sparse-sources on this period of Athenian history, and in many cases gives his own interpretation of the inscriptions.

Of course, the book is not free from some minor errors. For example, the author specifies the location of the encirclement of Perseus 'troops by the Romans in 168 -" at Pydna, not far from Olympus " (p. 213). However, Pydna is actually located at the foot of Mount Olokr, not far from the Gulf of Termea and relatively far from Olympus. This and similar minor shortcomings do not reduce the scientific and cognitive value of the publication in question. I am sure that it will have an appreciative reader for a long time to come. It will be primarily referred to by any student of the history of Hellenistic Athens. It is very good that now the audience of this wonderful book, thanks to the translation by Yu. G. Vinogradov, also covers Russian-speaking readers.

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