ABSTRACT
This chapter shows the ways in which some aspect of the mass and elite model is, and in some cases is not, adaptable to different domains – genres, times, and places, within the ancient world. Meanwhile, in a series of parallel developments, the mass and elite approach to thinking about discourse and ideology as key elements in a complex process of social negotiation proved to be productive beyond the domain of classical Athenian social and political history. The mass/elite binary is not, of course, the only way to conceive of ancient Athenian society – or of any other historical society. The perceived value of 'mass and elite', as an analytic concept for social analysis, may be expected to persist for at least the near future, if to judge by recent popular interest and academic attention to the question of the political ramifications of economic inequality.
