Research into the mechanisms and the morality of Athenian hegemony is
now perhaps livelier than ever. Of particular importance are the methods
by which Athens drew money from the Aegean world with which to fund a
vast fleet, to facilitate her own demokratia and to create ambitious
public buildings still visible today. This collection of new studies,
inspired and guided by an internationally-acknowledged authority on
ancient finance, Thomas Figueira, by focusing on how Athens raised
finance, sheds light on more familiar questions: How oppressive, or
otherwise, was Athens to fellow-Greeks and how did her demands vary over
time? Contributors here suggest that Athens may have exercised hegemonic
ambitions for longer than usually thought, applying greater experience,
and more sensitivity to individual communities.