10. Classical Period I: The Delian Empire to Athenian Empire Flashcards
When was Penekotaetia? What does it mean?what were some notable events during this time?
479-431
Pentekontaetia – “the period of 50 years”
! Time until Peloponnesian War
! Tensions between Athens and Sparta
! Sources
! Sparta
! No Classical Spartan sources
! Xenophon – Athenian ex-pat in Sparta (preferred Spartan ways)
! Athens
! Many sources (contemporary and later): Thucydides, Herodotu
What happened to the Hellenic league in 479BCE?
! 479 BCE – Hellenic League
! Spartans take the lead for a bit
! Replaced by Athenians
! Hellenic League → Delian League
Why was the Delian league created?requirements?
Delian League: Punish Persia
! Voluntary and eternal membership
! Members remain free and autonomous
! Equal vote in alliance
! Dues
! Ships (and manpower) or money (to build ships)
! Most pay money → Athens builds the ships (keeps them in
Athenian harbour)
! Growing power and influence of Athens (Cimon)
What was the effect of Delian league on the empire?
Allies – no threat, time to leave League ! Athens – “not so fast!” ! Forcing allies back ! Athenian domination ! New Athenian leader, Pericles ! Imperial ambitions ! Aggressive action on Egypt (457-454 BCE) ! Move Delian treasury to Athens (“safe keeping”) ! No longer dues - phoros (tribute)
What was happening between 449-432 that rose tensions in this time?
Lacedaemonians (Sparta) and her allies ! All connected by Sparta ! Allies in an offensive alliance with Sparta ! Sparta in a defensive alliance with allies ! Members incl.: Megara, Thebes, Corinth ! Concerns about Athens ! 464 BCE – Third Messenian War (helot revolt) ! Spartans call on allies ! Distrust Athens ! Cimon embarrassed → ostracized 461 BCE
Who was Thucydides?What did he do?
Athenian general (strategos) ! Military knowledge ! Pro-Athenian ! Pro-elite ! Contemporary (emotion?) ! Economic and military analysis ! Psychological considerations ! Moral decline of Athens ! History of the war up to 411 BCE ! Rest written by Xenophon
When was the Peloponnesian war?what was each sides strategy?
431-421 Peloponnesian War Part 1) ! Archidamus = Spartan king ! Athenian strategy: ! Defensive ! “make Athens an island” ! Walls around city and harbour (Piraeus) ! Spartan strategy: ! Pitched battles; pillage and plunder ! Embarrass Athens and break their morale ! Support rebellions
What happend during the 1 st year of the Archidmian War?
! Public eulogy for Athenian war dead ! Annual nature of Greek warfare ! Thucydides’ knowledge of the original speech ! Message in the speech ! Emphasis on praising Athenian citizens ! Celebrate democracy ! Contrast to Sparta ! Ideal of Athens
What happend during the second year of the of the Archidmian War?
! Farmer-citizen-soldiers don’t like the defensive strategy ! Watching Spartans run over lands ! Plague of Athens ! Quarter of the population dies ! Sparta avoids fighting (to avoid plague) ! Pericles blamed
What happend during the 3rd year?
Pericles dies of the plague
! Lacking experienced political and military
leaders
! Rhetor (pl. rhetores) – persuasive speakers
! Cleon
! Demagoguery – pandering, opportunistic,
self-interested
! Athens on the offensive
What happend during the Sphakteria
Campaign?
425 BCE
Pericles dies of the plague
! Lacking experienced political and military
leaders
! Rhetor (pl. rhetores) – persuasive speakers
! Cleon
! Demagoguery – pandering, opportunistic,
self-interested
! Athens on the offensive
Who is Brasidas? What were some notable events?
Pericles dies of the plague
! Lacking experienced political and military
leaders
! Rhetor (pl. rhetores) – persuasive speakers
! Cleon
! Demagoguery – pandering, opportunistic,
self-interested
! Athens on the offensive
What is the Mytilenean debate? What happend?
Revolting allies
! E.g., Mytilene (428 BCE)
! Debate about what to do with them
! Cleon - expediency over justice = destroy them!
! Diodotus – yes, expediency over justice = mercy
! Trouble of politics based in competitive speech
! Arguments not about logic and facts
! Say whatever will win
When was the siege of melos?
! Independent island
! Glaring exception to Athenian Empire
! “you’re either with us or you’re against us”
! Athens
! Right and wrong are pretenses – only power
! Moral claims based on positions of strength or weakness
! Destruction of Melos
! Euripides, Trojan Women (415 BCE)
! Athens = the new Persia
! New Greek warfare
When was the Silican Campaig? What occurred?
Segesta calls on Athens for aid
! Athens: “Why not just take over all of Sicily?”
! Nicias (against) vs Alcibiades (for)
! Sparta arrives to help
! Athenian armada destroyed
! (Xerxes’ Grand Army?)
! Results:
! Athenian allies revolt
! Alcibiades flees to Sparta (later to Persia)
! Advises a garrison in Attica to block Athens
! Athens is cut off by land
What happend with greek post war?
! End of the “high” Classical period
! Decrease in population, trade, agriculture
! Pessimistic outlook
! Political upheaval
! Economic depression in countryside
! Rural poor going to cities for work
! Growing distance between classes
! Greater inequality and social conflict
! Citizen-farmer-soldiers need work → mercenaries
! Cash economy – trades and professionals
What happend with Sparta post war?
! No interest to adapt to new world ! Had adapted during war and want to go back ! Retract citizenship – return to exclusive Spartiate class ! Drop in Spartiate numbers ! New imperialist position
What happend with Athens post war?
Terms of surrender: ! 1. Tear down its long walls (around city and out to port) ! 2. Swear allegiance to Sparta ! 3. Reduce navy (12 ships) ! 4. Abolish democracy ! Pro-Spartan oligarchy ! “The Thirty Tyrants”
When was the Corinthian war?
395-387
War = Sparta vs the rest of S. Greece
! Persia gives Athens money → rebuild walls and navy
! Athens becomes the bigger threat
! Persia threatens to help Sparta
! 387 BCE – Koine Eirene (“Common Peace”) aka King’s Peace
! Terms:
! All mainland poleis = free and autonomous
! Sparta gives up navy; Athens rebuilds
! Transfer of lands
! “Guarantee clause”
What happend in the aftermath of king’s peace?
Persia retakes Ionia (and Egypt etc)
! Sparta “the enforcer”
! Disbands Boeotian League (major power of Thebes)
! Break up sympolity of Argos and Corinth
! Campaign in Chalcidic peninsula (NE Greece)
! Athens
! Second Athenian League/ Second Martime Alliance
! Basically the Delian League (now vs Sparta)
! Promise to play nice
! Decline in polis system
What was the trigger incident in thebes?
382
! Sparta seizes Theban acropolis
! Democrats flee to Athens
! Spartan oligarchs removed
! Results for Thebes:
! Distrusts Sparta (join the club!)
! Aligns with Athens
! Ambitions grow – rebuild Boeotian League
! 379-371 – Boeotian War (Thebes vs Sparta)
! 371 – Thebes (Epaminondas) wants to sign for
! Sparta refuses
What happend during the battle of Leuktra?
371 BCE Spartan king Cleombrotus marches into Boeotia ! c. 10,000 hoplites (700 Spartiates) ! Boeotian force c. 6000 ! Includes Theban Sacred Band ! 150 pairs of male lovers ! Tactical skill of Epaminondas ! One of few Spartan defeats in a pitched battle
What was the aftermath and the theban power?
! 400 of 700 Spartiates (incl. King Cleombrotus) killed ! Spartan allies revolt ! 371 BCE – Thebes (Boeotian League) ! 370 BCE – Epaminondas and Pelopidas ! Free Messenia (helots) ! Arcadian League – anti-Spartan league ! Spartan power gone ! Thebes begins to meddle ! Politics of Thessaly (ally of Athens) ! Succession of kingdom of Macedon
