A Day in Old Athens
By William Stearns Davis
Professor of Ancient History in the University of Minnesota


Preface


This little book tries to describe what an intelligent person would
see and hear in ancient Athens, if by some legerdemain he were
translated to the fourth century B.C. and conducted about the city
under competent guidance. Rare happenings have been omitted and
sometimes, to avoid long explanations, PROBABLE matters have been
stated as if they were ascertained facts; but these instances are
few, and it is hoped no reader will be led into serious error.

The year 360 B.C. has been selected for the hypothetical time of
this visit, not because of any special virtue in that date, but
because Athens was then architecturally almost perfect, her civic
and her social life seemed at their best, the democratic constitution
held its vigor, and there were few outward signs of the general
decadence which was to set in after the triumph of Macedon.

I have endeavored to state no facts and to make no allusions, that
will not be fairly obvious to a reader who has merely an elementary
knowledge of Greek annals, such information, for instance, as may be
gained through a good secondary school history of ancient times.
This naturally has led to comments and descriptions which more
advanced students may find superfluous.