ἔστι που τὸ τῶν στρατηγῶν ὄνομα; οὐδαμοῦ (Aeschin. c. Ctes. 183). Note sull’anonimato ad Atene

Abstract

This paper deals with anonymity as a category opposed to authorship. After
some general considerations, the broader political and cultural status of anonymity is
described in the context of fifth-century Athens. The case-study of the epigrams of
Eion offers a particularly illuminating viewpoint on the emic perception of anonymity
as democratic practice. Some final conclusions are drawn on the fundamental analogy
between the discursive practices of literary and political anonymity.