Constitutions in Herodotus’s Histories: the “Persian Dialogue” (3. 80-82)
Resumo
The main goal of this analysis of Hdt 3. 80-82 is to demonstrate that the
historian does not propose a political theory based on three different constitutions:
monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy. On the contrary, it is clear that by applying the
qualifiers aristos and kakos to these forms of government, he offers a more complex
arrangement of six constitutional archetypes, subdivided into triads of good and
degenerate examples.
O propósito deste estudo é demonstrar que os capítulos 80-82 do livro
III das Histórias de Heródoto apresentam não o retrato de três regimes e respectivos
governates, o tradicional tríptico monarquia-oligarquia-democracia, mas permitem
a subdivisão destas formas arquetípicas de governação em seis: três em que reina a
excelência e outras tantas degeneradas.