Collaboration between the Secretary of the Athenian Council and the Generals: Recordkeeping and Accountability of Officials in Late Fifth-Century BC Athens

This article examines the unusual collaboration of the secretary of the Athenian council with the board of generals in the publication of decrees concerning Athenian foreign policy after the restoration of democracy in 410 bc. The epigraphic evidence from the late fifth century bc shows that this particular collaboration relates to a general change in recordkeeping habits of officials in Athens. A careful review of the surviving epigraphic sources reveals early Athenian attempts to improve recordkeeping by military authorities in order to achieve greater accountability.