What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore the historical development and legal status of the Athenian highest honours and their role within the democratic framework.

February 19, 2026Open Access

The history and rationale of the Athenian highest honours

Key Points

To explore the historical development and legal status of the Athenian highest honours and their role within the democratic framework.
Conducted a comprehensive historical analysis of Athenian honours from the Tyrannicides to the 2nd century BCE.
Reviewed scholarly arguments regarding the legal nature of megistai timai.
Examined the impact of these honours on Athenian democratic practices.
Establishes that megistai timai were legally defined rewards in ancient Athens.
Shows that the bestowal of these honours was not solely based on political factors.
Demonstrates that the zenith of these honours did not disrupt Athenian democracy.

Abstract

As their name suggests, megistai timai – the concomitant set of honorific portrait statue, σίτησις, and προεδρία – are one of the most prestigious honours that Athens could confer on an individual. However, some scholars have argued that the set did not constitute a legally defined reward, and that its bestowal was driven primarily by political contingency. By tracing a comprehensive history of the Athenian highest honours (from the Tyrannicides to the early 2nd century BCE), this article argues that, in fact, megistai timai were not only a legally established institution, but also a constituent part of the Athenian honorific framework; and that their zenith in the early Hellenistic period did not entail a disruption of democratic practices and ideology.

The history and rationale of the Athenian highest honours

Key Points

Abstract

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