1. History 2213: The Ancient Mediterranean City
Lecture 10: Athens and Sparta
Kyle Tadlock

2. Announcements
Discussion for lectures 8-10 due Weds. May 25

3. Athens and Sparta Best known poleis Many written sources
Also most atypical
Athens unusually large and wealthy
Sparta unusually large and militaristic
Most poleis fell between
Classical Age Greece ( BC)

4. Sparta Peloponnese Sparta Laconia Unwalled urban center
Chora called Laconia
Laconia
Sparta never colonized
Took over Messina
Large and agriculturally rich

5. Early History of Sparta
City of King Menelaus in Trojan War
Resettled by Dorians in 10th century BC
Sparta reemerges by c.750
Invade Messenia c.700
take over whole area
enslave natives and make helots
Rivalry with Argos

6. Spartan Society Reformed by the Great Rhetra Remade society over time
Problems of helot revolt and war with Argos c
Attributed to Lycurgus of Sparta
Remade society over time
Spartiates
~8,000 adult males dedicated to warfare
Held all political and military power
Perioikoi “The dwellers around”
Free citizens who were not Spartan
Non-Dorian population?
Helots
Owned by Spartan state
Assigned to a Spartiate with his kleros

7. Life in Sparta Spartiates Women Helots Trained for war from age 7
Entered into army at 20, retired at 60
Became Spartiate at age 30
Women
Freest in all Greece and ran kleros
Trained in athletics to have strong children
Taught Spartan ethos
Helots
Some protection and rights as state property
Could buy freedom and fight in wars
Kryptei and pruning

8. Spartan Government Two elected kings from two families Gerousia Apella
28 men + 2 kings
Elected for life from men 60 years and older
Executive council
Apella
General assembly
All Spartiates eligible
Ephors
5 men elected yearly
Managed routine affairs and foreign policy
All-powerful and always accompanied kings

9. Spartan Foreign Policy
Only professional, non-mercenary Greek army
Rarely left home
Fear of helot revolt
Reputation important
Peloponnesian League
Most poleis of the Peloponnesus
Hegemonic
Had to contribute to any campaign

10. Athens and Attica Attica Athens The chora of Athens 1,000 square miles
Scattered settlements
Mountainous
Olives, clay, stone, silver at Larium
Athens
Mycenaean fortress
Dark Age city on acropolis
Never colonized

11. Archaic History Aristocrats in charge
Nine archons
Areopagus
Many peasants in debt or debt slavery
C.650, new class of merchants and hoplites
Major problems and eventual stasis
Cylon attempts tyranny in 632
Solon ( ) as nomothete in 594

12. Reforms of Solon Debt slavery outlawed
Seisaktheia “Lifting of burdens”
Freed debt slaves at public expense
Encouraged trade and economic diversity
Subsistence farming to cash crops and pottery
Citizenship to foreigners with craft expertise
Written law code
Law available and applicable to all
Heliaia: court of appeals
Council of 400
Set up a timocratic system

13. After Solon Solon instituted reforms and then left for 10 years
Once again, stasis broke out between factions
Peisistratus (tyrant )
Three attempts at tyranny, succeeded in 546
“Good tyrant”
Redistributed land
Encouraged more economic diversity
Public works
Sons chased off with Spartan support in 510

14. Cleisthenes and Democracy
More stasis
Cleisthenes elected nomothetes in 508
Wanted to prevent tyranny and factionalism
~150 demes spread out geographically
10 demes into trittyes
1 trittyes from each region into a tribe
10 new tribes (phyle)
Plan successful
Isonomia and demokratia

15. Reforms of Cleisthenes

16. Government of Athens I Archons (9) Strategoi (Board of 10 Generals)
Religious, legal, and magisterial functions
Chosen by lot, no consecutive terms
Strategoi (Board of 10 Generals)
One from each tribe
Elected, could serve multiple terms
Boule (Council of 500)
50 from each tribe
Chosen annually by lot, only twice in a lifetime
Male, over 30, member of first three property classes
Executive council, chose legislation to be voted upon
Represented Athens to outsiders

17. Government of Athens II
Ekklessia (General Assembly)
All males over 18, likely only 6,000 at a time
Met on Pynx Hill
Voted on measures brought by boule
Dikasteria (Jury Pool)
6,000 judges chosen by lot
Open to all, many poor served because paid
Randomly selected for individual cases
Ostracism

18. The Others in Athens Slaves Women Common: 100-150,000?
Most zeugitai and above had at least one
No revolts, just ran away
Women
Role and treatment heavily debated
Oriental seclusion or queen bee?
Role in politics?
Dependent on class

19. Government in Pictures

20. Athenian Agora

21. Reconstruction

22. Democracy in Action
kleroterion

23. Athenian Pottery

24. The Persian War/s
Punishment for Athens and Eretria participating in the Ionian Revolt
Land expedition of 492 fails
Sailing expedition launched in 490
Sacks Eretria, sails toward Athens
Fleet lands at Marathon with Hippias where defeated
Sea/land expedition launched in 480
At least 100,000 men and 600 ships
Hellenic League under Sparta
Spartans and allies stand at Thermopylae
Athens burned but people saved
Persians defeated at Salamis (480), Platea, and Mycale (479)

25. An Overview

26. Defeat and Two Victories

27. The Aftermath Athens leads Hellenic League after 477
Forms the Delian League
Mutual protection and drive Persians out of Aegean
Liberated cities join and contributed ships or silver
Headquartered on island of Delos
200 cities at end
Battle of Eurymedon in 469
Delian League becomes an Athenian empire in 454
Treasury moved to Athens
Cleruchs as garrison
Exclude trade rivals from controlled parts
Impose democracy, commercial law, and coinage
Cause stasis in subject cities

28. It’s a Big Delian