The 'Old Oligarch': The Constitution of Athenians Attributed to Xenophon edited by J. L. Marr and P. J. Rhodes 'Old Oligarch' is a label often applied to the unknown author of the Constitution of the Athenians preserved with the works of Xenophon. Probably written in the mid 420's B.C., this is the earliest surviving Athenian prose text, and its author was probably a young pupil of the teachers known as sophists. It is a treatise which replies to imagined oligarchic criticisms of the Athenian democracy by agreeing with the critics that democracy is distasteful but arguing that it is appropriate for Athens as a city whose power depends on the poorer citizens who row the navy's ships, and that it is successful and could not easily be overthrown. This edition provides a Greek text and English translation, with Introduction, Commentary and Appendixes which discuss the date, authorship and character of the work, the historical background, the statements and arguments presented by the author and features of the author's style. J. L. Marr is a former Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter. P. J. Rhodes was Professor of Ancient History and is now Honorary Professor at the University of Durham.