Early Athens: Solon and Constitutional Reform

Early Athens:  Solon and Constitutional Reform

Lecture Outline

I.      Athens before Solon

       -by end of 8th century, unification of Athens was well advanced

II.    Constitutional Organization before Solon (mid 7th century)

        a.  Nine archons (elected annually)

                Archon Basileus

                Polemarch

                Archon Eponymous

                6 Thesmothetai (added c. 683)

        b.  Council of the Areopagus

        c.  Assembly (ekklesia)

III.   Social Discord:

        a.  Cylon attempts tyranny (632)

        b.  Draco appointed to codify laws (624)

        c.  lower classes in debt

IV.  Reforms of Solon (archon in 594)

        a.  Economic Reform

                   Seisachtheia ("shaking off of burdens")

                   law forbidding security on an individual

                   promotion of industry and trade

        b.  Legal Reforms

                    revision of laws

                    amnesty decree

                    right to seek redress

                    right to appeal to Assembly regarding verdicts of magistrates

         c.  Constitutional Reforms

                    **Wealth becomes criterion for political office rather than birth

                        Census Classes:

                                Pentacosiomedimni

                                Hippeis 300

                                Zeugetai 200

                                Council of the 400 (?) = thetes 199 or less
 

--------> EUNOMIA ('Good Law')

               -essentially conservative but 3 measures are important for the development of democracy:

                    1.  Prohibition of loans secured upon an individual

                    2.  possibility of seeking redress

                    3.  right of appeal to Assembly

 

 

 

 
 Tyranny at Athens (Pisistratus) and the Reforms of Cleisthenes

Lecture Outline

1. 
   Discontent continues despite Solon’s reforms
   

• 
  Wealthy unhappy because of cancellation of debts
  

• 
  Eupatrids unhappy because they no longer have political monopoly
  

• 
  Lower classes dissatisfied with reforms
  

• 
  Zeugetai want redistribution of land
  

 Anarchia in 590/89 and 586/5

2. 
   Three Groups active at this time:
   

• 
  Pedieis: oligarchic, Lycurgus is leader
  

• 
  Paraloi: moderate, Megacles is leader
  

• 
  Hyperakrioi: more popular, Peisistratus is leader
  

3. 
   Tyranny of Pisistratus 546-527
   

• 
  561/0: Fake wounding and vote for a bodyguard
  

• 
  550/49: Megacles and Pisistratus join forces. Exiled same year.
  

• 
  540/39 – 528/7: a positive, fair rule characterized by freedom from factional strife
  

• 
  Pisistratus died in 528/7 and was succeeded by son Hippias
  

4. 
   Rule of Hippias
   

• 
  Same policies until the Harmodius and Aristogeiton affair in 514
  

• 
  Hippias then harshens rule
  

• 
  Tyrants thrown out in 510 with Spartan help
  

5. 
   Isagoras vs Cleisthenes
   

6. 
   Reforms of Cleisthenes
   

• 
  Tribal reorganization
  

-ten tribes; territorial basis using demes and trittyes

Essential ingredient for Athenian democracy

• 
  Council of the 500
  

-50 members from each tribe, selected by lot

-standing committee (Prytaneis)

• 
  Military Organization
  

-ten generals, one elected from each tribe

Reforms of Cleisthenes provide the essentials of Athenian democratic system.

 Direct, non-representational democracy

Isonomia (equal law)

"East vs West" (The Persian Empire and The Persian Wars) & Herodotus' View of the 'Other'

Lecture Outline

I.        Advance of Persians under Cyrus:

          a.  550, Medes defeated
          b.  546, Lydians defeated
          c.  540, Greek city-states in Asia Minor under Persian control
          d.  539, Babylon defeated
 

II.      Cambyses (530):

          a.  535, added Egypt to the Persian Empire
          b.  522, Cambyses died and was succeeded by Darius

III.     Ionian Revolt (499-494):

          a.  498, Athens sent 20 ships, Eretria sent 5 ships to aid Ionian Greeks.

          b.  Ionian Greeks marched to Sardis but were defeated near Ephesus.  Mainland Greeks returned home.

          c.  Revolt continued but was ultimately unsuccessful.

          d.  494, capture of Miletus and defeat of Greeks off Lade. Revolt ended in failure.

 

IV.     Persians Wars

          a.  1st invasion in 490:  Darius is Persian king; Datis and Artaphrenes, his generals, led invasion.

                Battle of Marathon (in Attica).  Persian defeat and retreat.

 

          b.  2nd invasion in 480 (Xerxes is Persian king).

               Greek defeat at Thermopylae

               Battle of Artemesium was indecisive

               Persian sack of Athens

               Greek victory at Salamis was decisive; Xerxes returned to Sardis

          c.  479, Mardonius remained in Greece

               Persian army defeated at Plataea

               Persian navy defeated at Mycale
 

V. Herodotus' vision of non-Greeks

-rather more open-minded than one might expect, given the ethnocentric tendencies in most Greek writers. Especially admired the Egyptians

because of their skills at record-keeping.

-note the way he explains foreign customs to his Greek readers: use of analogy, comparison and polarity is particularly important

  5 things about Herodotus:

HISTORIAE (= researches)

Greece (Halicarnassus)

Greek (Ionic)

Herodotus

420’s bc