Athens, eh, Jim? Not a relevant example given that Athens was constitutionally a direct[i democracy of the sort some Momentum types and all Swiss like, whereas under a representative democracy such as ours a plebiscite is an extraordinary event, whereby Parliament willingly devolves the determination of a specific decision to the electorate.
I'd rather like to see that devolved decision (2016) honoured by the Parliament which granted it and which promised it would accept it - [i]whatever].
I see the same trick being played by the "People's Vote" campaigners. Obviously if the "People" (with a capital P) who vote in referendum two come up with the same answer as the small p "people" who voted Out the first time, then Parliament will redeploy all the old rationalisations for safeguarded the stoopids from their folly. And you've already said that you will accept the result of a second referndum only if it goes your way.
PS: Athens "reversing" votes. (In our system its called "elections", Jim. As in that's normal: sometimes the Greens win and sometimes the Blues. A successful democracy is premissed on the willingness of the loser to accept the result. Or do you think otherwise? As in Trump Derangement Syndrome: I've been used to getting my own way for so long I'm not used to having to listen to the country hicks and red-necks and accept a President an policies of their choosing, and I damned well won't.)
I think your "reversal" may be a reference to the Melos massacre, and the marvellous debates recorded/embellished/scripted by Thucydides some years later which prevented (by the stroke of an oar) its repetition when another "ally" seceded. If you haven't read it (and you probably have) you should read the "Pelopponesian War". I think it's Europe's greatest work of history. A judgment based, let me add, not on a comprehensive knowledge of the literature, just on my own very limited reading.