the rise of athens
DESCRIPTION
The Rise of Athens. To Peisistratos. Attica. Athens. Relatively crappy soil, perfect for olives! Excellent port(s ) Geographically determined large polis Good red clay Silver mines Mt Penteli Where the Dorian and Ionian worlds meet - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
To Peisistratos THE RISE OF ATHENS
ATTICA
Relatively crappy soil, perfect for olives!
Excellent port(s)Geographically
determined large polisGood red claySilver minesMt PenteliWhere the Dorian and
Ionian worlds meetAnd of course the
most important: Autochthonoi Athenians with pretty slender legs ;)
ATHENS
SYNOIKISMOS
Aristocratic familial social system: Four tribes divided into three phratres
Eupatrids, well-born, on top of the heap.Hippeis, cavalry, nextZeugitai – the ones conjoinedThetes, po' trash683, The College of Archons: Eponymous, Polymarch,
BasileusAreopagusThesmothetes – judges
EARLY ATHENIAN SOCIETY
(Not from Battlestar Gallactica) Olympic victor Attempted coup; he takes the Akropolis.Megacles, one of the Alcmaeonidae, leads the
opposition with archons in tow. Lock the Cylonians in the temple.
Megacles cuts the rope to a wellMiasma- The Curse of the Alcmaeonidae
CYLONIAN AFFAIR, 632
Code of Draco, 621Published law code, shows decline in power of
AristocracySimilar to Hammurabi
DRAKON
Debt enslavement crisis: Attic farms turn multiple bad crops.
Hektemoroi, basically sharecroppers. Horoi are mortgaged farms.
Sole archon because of his sophrosyne, self control and moderation.
Cancels all debtsChanges coin weights from Pheidonian to Euboic for
easy trade East. Encourages olive and grape production…only!
Off ers citizenship to foreigners of extraordinary ability, opens the city to Metoikoi (metics).
Establishes social classes based on agricultural output.
Established boule of 400. Ekklesia of all citizens, Pnyx. Court of appeal.
594, SOLON
Moderate approach made everyone mad10 year, self-imposed exileDe facto anarchy with powerful locals vying for powerThe strongman in favour of demotic privilege from the
east, beyond Mt Penteli from Marathon down to Laurion emerges…
EFFECTS OF SOLONIAN CONSTITUTION
War hero vs MegaraSolon warns the people after his return…but everyone
wants itPeisistratos asks the assembly for a bodyguard for his
safety, which he promptly uses to take the Akropolis561-56 he rules, but driven out, so off to other
tyrants to learnComes back rich & smart, gets rid of his wife (?),
marries Megacles' daughter, needs a great entrance into the city…
PEISISTRATOS
Peisistratos wants a clear succession for his fi rst children
Deinomache complains to her fatherThey drive out Peisistratos againSo, he regroups and invades AtticaBattle of PelliniSo kids, if you want something and don'tget it, keep trying
MEGACLES EVENTUALLY GETS MAD
He actually governs well and fairly, Ur Parthenon, Olympian Zeus
PUBLIC WORKS OF PEISISTRATOS
Reinstates archons, ekklesia, & law courts and adds circuit judges to bench. Circuit justice is genius! The people love it and it keeps local aristocracy out of touch.
'Peisistratos did not (seek to) change the constitution, but to dominate it.' - Kagan
He makes sure his people are in charge of civic institutions.
Exiles those he finds diffi cult: eg AlcmaeonidaeMedici parallel?Somehow, the large farms of aristocrats are broken
upReadily lends cash to farmers. Did they buy land
back?Athenian agriculture blossoms ;) when it hadn't
before5% tax. Popular in lower classes, not so much the
aristocracy.The farmer from Hymettos – the Souda
ADMINISTRATION OF PEISISTRATOS
Hippias and Hipparchos514, Tyrannicides kill HipparchosHippias becomes paranoid and becomes 'tyrannical'Meanwhile the Alcmaeonidae (previously thrown out,
again) make nice with Delphi 'First, free the Athenians'511-10 King CleomenesHippias flees to Persia
527, DEATH OF PEISISTRATOS
Economic expansion: Olives and grapes; each oikos is reunited with its kleros; Athenian pottery from Sicily – Ukraine. Overtake Corinth as primo pottery purveyors
Diminution of aristocratic power: judges, land allocation. Athens become undisputed center of Attica.
Continuation of the archons, experience of self government by the non-aristocratic under tyranny. Ultimate irony that tyranny leads to democracy in Athens.
SUMMARY OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF TYRANNY IN ATHENS