CONCLUSION 371
citizens became a people without political direction and gradu-
ally an essentially unpolitical body. The type of the apragmon
was nothing but 'a private person', no matter whether the
individual was concerned with business or intellectual enjoy-
ments or a general latssex-aller Nevertheless, and indeed
because of this people, Athens continued to exist Behind all
the storms of politics (and they were not to die down for a
long time to come), behind the loss of political strength,
wisdom and self-sacrifice, immortal Athens lived on and with
her her people of petty farmers and petty townsmen.
Social disintegration, however, was going on all the time,
and its chief result was the formation of a new* upper class,
distinct from the majority of the people by prosperity or
sometimes even great wealth and also by education, a bourgeoisie
which,, as the economic masters of a multitude of employees,
tenants and slaves, took over the task of governmentx The
intellectual interests and civilized enjoyments of the new
upper class rested on economic security. We have seen how
in the late fifth and early fourth centuries this new form of
life began its career in all kinds of economic activities.
It is at this point that a peculiar problem arises. The chief
trend was clearly towards an upper class guided by selfish
materialism and unpolitical individualism There always was,
on the other hand, an intense political activity, and at least
part of the people were still living in the old traditions of Polis
life, its patriotism and also its religion. Exactly the same con-
trasts are described in the most authoritative work on the
social history of the Hellenistic age Rostovtzeff3 realizes both
sides of the character of that bourgeoisie which governed the
Hellenistic Polls; but he finds the traditional ways of life by
far the stronger force, and he goes so far as to see in the
citizen of the third and second centuries B.C the true heir of
the homo pohttcus of the classical age This cannot be correct,
unless there was round about 300 B.C a complete break and
volte-face in the development of the Pohs, for which, of
1 Cf M Rostovtzeff, Social and Economic History of the Hellenistic World
passim, in particular II, 111 $ff
2 Op cit, r 11gff", 112 5f I was able to discuss the matter with Professor F W
Walbank, and I am glad to say that he, coming to the problem from the Hellenis-
tic side, seems fully to agree with ni) own uews Cf also Walbank, Cl R LVI
(1942), 8iff, and JHS LXIV (1944), 13, and Momighano, JHS LXTH
(1943), ii6f