The course will focus both on the critical reading of ancient sources and the understanding of how theoretical models influence this critical reading. Thematically, it focuses on the Athenian democracy and the various historiographical approaches to this issue. In particular, rather than focusing on the institutional aspects of the Athenian democracy, recent studies explore the influence of social conventions, in particular gender issues; the interaction between space and society; the link between the human community and its gods, as fundamental aspects of what “democracy” meant in ancient Athens