RESUMO Serão investigadas, nesta dissertação, as origens da democracia ateniense através da análise de quatro epigramas de Simônides de Ceos e da contextualização de alguns outros. Partindo do assassinato de Hiparco por Harmódio e Aristogíton e traçando suas conseqüências, tanto do ponto de vista mítico quando político, tentaremos demonstrar como o povo, agora identificado como mesmo ideal de igualdade perante a lei (isonomia), foi capaz de afastar tanto o perigo de uma helotização da Ática, quanto o de uma submissão ao império aquemênida, ao vencer duas batalhas decisivas, cujo relato foi preservado em inscrições que chegaram até nós sob o nome de Simônides por transmissão literária ou epigráfica ou ambas. Também iremos lidar com todos os aspectos relativos à composição, caráter e transmissão de cada um dos quatro epigramas comentados, além de fornecer uma tradução de todos os outros - incluindo os novos fragmentos elegíacos recentemente descobertos - que possam ter alguma relevância para o assunto em questão. / The origins of Athenian democracy are herein surveyed through the analysis of four Simonidean epigrams and the canvassing of several others. Starting from the murder of Hipparchus by Harmodius and Aristogeiton, and following its consequences, both mythic and political, we shall proceed to demonstrate how the people, now identified with the same democratic ideal, was able to eschew both the danger of helotization by Sparta and submission by the Persian Empire by its winning two decisive battles recorded in inscriptions that came down to us either through literary or epigraphical transmission or both. We shall also deal with all aspects surrounding the composition, nature and transmission of each of the four epigrams, besides providing a translation of all other epigrams - including the newly discovered elegiac fragments - that may bear any relevancy to the subject under appreciation.

The following work is the result of three years of research for my Ph.D. at the University of Trento, Faculty of Law. The aim of my research is to give an account of the Etruscan legal system by analysing both direct and indirect sources. For this, I have attempted to use historical, linguistic, and epigraphical methods and instruments, combining them to offer the most complete view of one of the most influential cultures in the Italian peninsula before the rise of Rome. The first chapter is an account of the historical evolution of the Etruscan ethnos from the Bronze age to the end of the I century b.C., focusing mainly on the socioeconomic drives that informed public affairs and the complex exchequer of international events. This part is based on indirect sources, such as literary ones. The second chapter is an attempt to offer a short linguistic vademecum, focused mainly on Etruscan alphabet and morphology, with some remarks regarding the origins of Etruscan language and alphabet. The third chapter is the analysis of the direct sources, mostly epigraphic ones. I have chosen the most relevant legal epigraphs that have yet been discovered and have proceeded to study them, attempting (where possible) some parallels with roman law. After the general conclusions, I deemed it appropriate to add two appendixes concerning Etruscan amgistratures and a short legal lexicon. The work is closed by some hand-drawn maps and the most important epigraphs.

La tesi riguarda la Seconda Lega ateniese, di cui si studia il periodo, solitamente trascurato, compreso tra la fine della Guerra Sociale (355/4 a.C.) e la sconfitta di Atene a Cheronea (338 a.C.). Fonti principali, come del resto per il periodo precedente, sono le iscrizioni. Vengono quindi analizzate, in ordine geografico e cronologico, diciassette epigrafi di interesse storico (per lo più iscrizioni onorarie e trattati), considerate utili nella ricostruzione delle modalità di intervento ateniese all’interno della Lega. Area geografica privilegiata è la Grecia settentrionale, più immediatamente a contatto con l’espansionismo macedone. Obiettivo della tesi è infatti chiarire se la storia della Lega navale, più che una progressiva perdita di significato, non metta in evidenza un costante e coerente riorientamento degli obiettivi, stimolata dal confronto con Filippo II di Macedonia. / The topic of this thesis is the Second Athenian League during its final, usually underrated period, namely between the end of the Social War (355/4 B.C.) and the Athenian defeat at Chaeronea (338 B.C.). The sources for the history of the League both before and after the Social War are mainly epigraphical. Accordingly, seventeen historical inscriptions are carefully examined and thoroughly commented on: these are mostly honorific decrees and treaties, all of which proved to be useful to investigate how Athens acted within its League. The study, focusing on Northern Greece as the latter became more and more endangered by the growing power of Macedon, tries to ascertain whether the history of the Second Athenian League, far from becoming meaningless, might show a steady and consistent reorientation of its tasks, in and because of the military confrontation with Philip II.