Numbers and Numeracy in the Greek Polis

We tend to think of numbers as inherently objective and precise. Yet the diverse ways in which ancient Greeks used numbers illustrates that counting is actually shaped by context-specific and culturally-dependent choices: what should be counted and how, who should count, and how should the results be shared? This volume is the first to focus on the generation and use of numbers in the polis to quantify, communicate and persuade. Its papers demonstrate the rich insights that can be gained into ancient Greek societies by reappraising seemingly straightforward examples of quantification as reflections of daily life and cultural understandings.

Robert Sing received his PhD in Classics from the University of Cambridge and is an independent researcher. He has published on the Demosthenic corpus and the Athenian system of pay for political participation.

Tazuko Angela van Berkel is Associate Professor of Classics at Leiden University. She has published on Protagoras, Xenophon, friendship, ancient economic reflection and the rhetoric of numbers. Her 2020 monograph The Economics of Friendship was published by Brill.

Robin Osborne is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of King’s College. He has published widely in Greek history, archaeology and art history.

Contributors are Tazuko Angela van Berkel, Josine Blok, George Florin Calian, Steve Johnstone, Lisa Kallet, Eunsoo Lee, Robin Osborne, Catherine Rubincam, Daniel Mahendra Jan Sicka, Robert Sing.