The Athenian Constitution: Athenaion Politeia

The Athenian constitution (The Constitution of the Athenians) is the name of either of two texts from Classical antiquity, one probably by Aristotle or a student of his, the other attributed to Xenophon, but not by him. The Constitution of the Athenians (in ancient Greek Ἀθηναίων πολιτεία, Athenaion Politeia) describes the political system of ancient Athens. The treatise was made between 330 and 322 BC. Some ancient authors, as Diogenes Laërtius state that Aristotle assigned his pupils to prepare a monograph of 158 constitutions of Greek cities, including a constitution of Athens. The work consists of two parts. The first part, from Chapter I to Chapter XLI, deals with the different iterations of the constitution, from the trial of the Alcmaeonidae until 403 BC. The second part describes the city's institutions, including the terms of access to citizenship, magistrates and the courts.