Modern studies of classical utopian thought are usually restricted to the Republic and Laws of Plato, producing the impression that Greek speculation about ideal states was invariably authoritarian and hierarchical. This book, however, sets Plato in the context of the whole ancient tradition of philosophical utopia. It distinguishes two types of Greek utopia, relating both to the social and the political background of Greece between the fifth and third centuries B.C. There was a lower utopianism, meant for literal implementation, which arose from the Greek colonizing movement, and a higher theoretical form which arose from the practical utopias. Dawson focuses on the higher utopianism, whose main theme was total communism in property and family. He attempts to reconstruct the lost utopian works of the Stoics, arguing that their ideal state was universal and egalitarian, in deliberate contrast to the hierarchical and militaristic utopia of Plato; and that both theories were intended to bring about long-range social reform, though neither was meant for direct implementation. Dawson offers an explanation for the disappearance of the utopian tradition in the later Hellenistic age. A final chapter traces the survival of communistic ideas in early Christianity.

"I tried this book out on a group of students. Not only were they very appreciative of the clarity and cogency of Dawson's writing, and the stimulating ideas the book contains, they also went on to write excellent essays. What more needs to be said? This is a first class book taking a fresh look at an important and interesting subject."

"Learned, exhaustive, and cogently argued....Brilliantly carried out."

"[Dawson's] arguments will be of interest. The breadth of the book is impressive; it should be useful to a wide scholarly audience."

"The scholar of Greek political thought will regard [Cities of the Gods] an indispensable tool of research."

"Dawson's dense and exhaustively argued study is full of challenging assertions and provocative conclusions."

Doyne Dawson, Visiting Lecturer in History, High Point University