Student profiles
Lydia Barrett
Email: hslbarr5@liverpool.ac.uk
Thesis Title
Institution
University of Liverpool
Supervisors
Professor Colin Adams
Dr. Georgia Petridou
Research Summary
Gift-giving was a core cultural behaviour in ancient Athens, and it dominated social and political relationships. But the development of Athens’ democracy saw a surge in accusations of manipulated gifts, bribes, and corrupt behaviour. This research will analyse the tumultuous relationship between gift-giving and bribery alongside the development of Athenian democracy to explore how and why this new political system seemingly accompanied a surge of corruption.
This will begin in the sixth century BCE with Solon’s reforms (c. 594BC) and following the development of key democratic institutions (the lawcourts, the assembly, and elections) in cohesion with contemporary gift-giving practices to examine if this development provided more opportunities for gift exchanges, and thus more opportunities for ‘corrupting’ gifts (e.g. bribes). Moving from the sixth century to the fifth century BCE, these institutions in their established forms will then be analysed, before ending within the fourth century when they were reformed. Modern sociological and anthropological theories on gift-giving and corruption will be drawn upon to better understand how these complex concepts impact human behaviour and provide an alternative insight into the pressures faced by Athens’ democracy.
Research Interests
Ancient Greece (especially Athens)
Practice of gift-exchange and reciprocity
Corruption
Applying modern anthropological and sociological approaches to the ancient world
Publications
Coming soon