Sull'orientamento politico di Androzione

In this paper I first consider the opposite interpretations of Androtion’s political positions by F. Jacoby and Ph. Harding. Jacoby considered him as a moderate conservative, influenced by his father Andron, alleged ancient member of the Four Thousand, and by his master Isocrates; Harding depicts him as an “ideologyless” man, whose work was inspired only by erudite interests. Similarly, according to Jacoby Androtion’s Atthis was the main source of Aristotle’s Constitution of Athens, while Harding does not admit systematic relations between the Atthis and Aristotle’s work. \r\nSecondly, since the analysis of Androtion’s biography does not lead to certain conclusions, I study some fragments whose ideological value has not yet been fully appreciated by scholars: F 43, on the syngrapheis of the year 411; F 10, on the “decarchs” which replaced the Thirty Tyrants after the battle of Mounychia; FF 3, 4 a-b (on the Areopagus), 42 (on Hyperbolus), 46 (on the death of Dorieus of Rhodes).\r\nThe analysis of the fragments does not seem to confirm Harding’s “sceptical” interpretation. It is difficult to admit that there are no trace of ideology in Androtion’s fragments and no relations between Androtion’s Atthis and Aristotle’s Constitution of Athens (apart from F 6). On the contrary, F 43 (on the syngrapheis), F 10 (on the second decarchy) and F 3 (on the Areopagus) seem to reflect ideologically sensible themes, on which Androtion and Aristotle agree against other sources. \r\nThus, it is legitimate to admit that Androtion, who meddled in politics and was interested in contemporary history, had his political ideas and can probably be connected with the “moderate” faction, independently from his uncertain biographical data. Similarly, Aristotle may rely on Androtion’s Atthis for the events of the years 411 and 404, on which the attidographer probably offered a detailed narration that can hardly be considered ideologically “neutral”.