The emergence of Democracy in Athens

Question 1

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

What is the broad context of the Athenian move to democracy?

Answer 1

The fall of tyranny causing a period of political upheaval.

Question 2

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

Whose flight left a power vacuum in Athens after the fall of the tyrants?

Answer 2

Peisistratids.

Question 3

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

Who was Cleisthenes?

Answer 3

Aristocrat of the house of Alcamaeonid.
Related to Pericles.
Chief Archon in 525 BC.
His family were instrumental in overthrowing the Tyrants.
He himself bribed the priestess of Delphi

Question 4

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

Who was Isogoras?

Answer 4

Athenian aristocrat
Friend of the Peisistratids
Elected Chief Archon in 508 - seemed to have the backing of the aristocrats.

Question 5

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

What reforms did Cleisthenes introduce while Isagoras was Archon in 508

Answer 5

Cleisthenes sought support from the common people and divided the Athenians into ten tribes named after Greek heroes – 9 from Athens, plus Ajax. (He followed his granddad’s policies, same name, but who gave the Greek tribes denigrating names such as Assites, and Pigites.)

Question 6

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

How did Isagoras react to Cleisthenes’ atttempt to reform Athens?

Answer 6

Isaogoras invited the Spartan King Cleomenes to invade - a King with ambitions and a large army!
Isagoras and Cleisthenes had guest-friendship ties

Question 7

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

What did King Cleomenes do when he invaded Athens?

Answer 7

Cleisthenes left before he arrived.
All of the Alcmaeonids and many of the aristocratic families (700 familes - acc. to Herodotus), were exiled, calling them ‘under a curse’.

Question 8

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

How did Isogoras and King Cleomenes try to reform Athens? What was the reaction?

Answer 8

Limit citizen power in government
Return power to the aristocrats and an oligarchy
Shift power to 300 of Isagoras’ friends and supporters.

The Athenians were not supportive - the citizens besieged Cleomenes and Isogoras in the Acropolis - negotiating that they leave Athens with the Spartan army. Other supporters of Isagoras were exiled.

Question 9

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

After the collapse of Isagoras’ attempt to reform Athens and his exile, what else did the citizens do?

Answer 9

Put to death or exiled the supporters of his coup.
Called Cleisthenese and the 700 familes back from exile!
Formed an alliance with Persia (through the governor at Sardis)(Herodotus 5.73-77)

Question 10

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

After the citizens sought Cleisthenes’ return, what did Spartan King Cleomenes do?

Answer 10

He gathered up a Pelopennesian army to take revenge against the Athenians and to re-install Isogoras as tyrant.
The alliance forces moved against Athens.

Question 11

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

What happened when the Spartan King Cleomenes’ alliance moved against Athens?

Answer 11

Cleomenes reached Eleusis NW of Athens.
The Boeotieans seized border towns.
The Chalcidians raided Attic districts.

Then collapse of the alliance:

• The Corinthians had a change of heart and turned back - ‘they realised that they were acting immorally,’ acc. to Herodotus.
• Sparta’s joint commander similarly upped arms and suddently left.
• This encouraged the rest of the alliance to break up.

Herodotus 5.75

Question 12

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

How did the Athenians respond to the Pelopponnesian alliance’s collapse?

Answer 12

They marched against the Chalicidians to punish them.
The Boeotians came to aid the Chalcidians but the Athenians turned on them first, “killing many and capturing 700.” - Herodotus.
On the same day they turned and defeated the Chalcidians taking many captive - after negotiations, their chains were hung in the Acropolis, which Herodotus saw.

Question 13

Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement

How does Herodotus evaluate the aftermath of the Athenian defeats of the Spartan-Pelopponnesia alliance?

Answer 13

Herodotus extolled the advantages of their democratic tendency:
“the Athenians grew more powerful still, and proved the benefits of equality (isogoria) in every respect … without their tyrants … they were undoubtedly superior to all. … when they were free, every man was eager to achieve for himself…”

Question 14

Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes

Why is there a dispute surrounding whether Cleisthenes introduced the reforms?

Answer 14

Herodotus suggests that Cleisthenes introduced them when he tried to claim power (before exile and return).
Aristotle claims that the reform policies were created after the Athenians defeated Isogoras and Cleomenes.

Question 15

Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes

How does Aristotle compare Cleisthenes’ reforms to Solon’s?

Answer 15

“The constitution was far more democratic than Solon’s. For it happened that the tyranny had suppressed Solon’s laws … [and] Cleisthenes set up other [laws] when he was after the support of the people.” - Aristotle.

Question 16

Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes

What were the two strands of Cleisthenes’ reforms?

Answer 16

1) Reorganisation of the tribes and demes (suburbs of Athens)
2) Political reforms

Question 17

Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes

How were the tribes and demes organised prior to Cleisthenes’ reforms?

Answer 17

Athens - divided into 4 tribes.
Tribe members loosely connected by birth and family.
Aristocrats dominated the tribes.
Families were also members of phratries which had social and political functions.
Membership of a phratry was necessary to become a citizen.

Question 18

What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?

Answer 18

Divided Attica into three regions - coast, city, inland.
Each region then subdivided into ten sections can trittys (thirds).
He then created ten new tribes from each tritty.
Each tribe was named after a Greek hero and a shrine was dedicated to the trittys’ heroes was placed in the agora.
He kept the phratries but removed their political powers.

Question 19

What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?

What did Herodotus think of Cleisthenes’ reasons for his reforms?

Answer 19

5.69:
Herodotus thought that the reforms were motivated by more personal reasons - emulating his grandfather’s reforms.
By appealing to the people Cleisthenes improved his power base.
Herodotus thought that he was also held contempt for the Ionians, which is more controversial as H– assumes Cleisthenes had the same personality traits as his grandfather.

Question 20

What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?

What were the repercusssions of Cleisthenes’ reforms?

Answer 20

Citizens from all levels of life - townsmen, countrymen, coastal traders - could play a political role.
The power of the aristocratic families was curtailed.

Question 21

What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?

How did Cleisthenes alter the demes?

demes - villages/suburbs of Athens.

Answer 21

He created 139 demes.
Athenians had to register with a deme.
Aristotle also noted that he allowed non-Athenians to join a deme to become citizens (arguably to reduce traditional family power in the region - me, not Aristotle)
Locality thus became the source of citizenship rather than the phratry
Citizens now referred to themselves as, e.g., Socrates from the deme of Alopeke, rather than x son of y.

Question 22

What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?

How was each deme constituted politically?

Answer 22

A leader who served for one year.
A series of officials including treasurers.
A council
An assembly.

This enabled deme citizens to prepare for participation in the government of Athens as a whole.

Question 23

Cleithenes and political reforms

Solon had created a council, the boule, what did Cleisthenes do?

Answer 23

Cleisthenes expanded the boule from 400 to 500 members.

Each of the newly created 10 tribes were to provide 50 citizens to participate.

(If Aristotle was correct on the number under Solon - only source available!)

Question 24

Cleithenes and political reforms

What was the ecclesia?

Greek: ekklesia

Answer 24

Ecclesia, (“gathering of those summoned”), in ancient Greece, assembly of citizens in a city-state.
Assembly of all men that had completed 2 years of military service. Created by Solon, voted on all important matters of state

Its roots lay in the Homeric agora, the meeting of the people.

Cleisthenes changed it so that it started with “who wishes to speak?” and anyone could.

Question 25

Cleithenes and political reforms

What change to the ecclesia did Cleisthenes effect?

Answer 25

According to scholars, he seems to have introduced the ‘equal rights to address the assembly’ privilege - the isogoria.

Meetings would start with, “Who wants to speak?”

This meant that ordinary citizens, regaredless of connections or wealth, could have a say - this meant that they had more political power than before breaking the grip that the more prominent families had.

Question 26

Cleithenes and political reforms

Why may Herodotus have thought the isogoria important?

Answer 26

Following the isogoria, he noted that “the Athenians grew more powerful still and proved the benefits of equality (isogoria) in … without the tyrants they were undoubtedly superior to all … when they were free, every man was eager to achieve for himself [for the betterment of Athens as whole - that is what he implies ].”

Question 27

Spartan attempt to restore Hippias

Why, according to Herodotus, did the Spartans come to regret their helping the Alcmaeonids in the overthrow of Athenian tyranny?

Answer 27

1) The Peisistratids had been their friends.
2) They hadn’t realised that the Alcmaeonids had bribed the priestess at Delphi to encourage the Spartans to get rid of Athenian tyranny (implying that the Spartans would have seen this as irreligious…)
3) The Athenians gave no thanks to the Spartans (Herodotus 5.90)

The Spartans were also receiving prophecies that the Athenians would inflict harm on Sparta, so they contacted Hippias who was exiled in Persia. They were thus concerned about Athenian power.

COMMENT: were the Delphi priests pitting Athens and Sparta against each other here, and earning a ton of money in return?? Secret society hypothesis :)

Question 28

How did Sparta seek an alliance against Athens?

Answer 28

They held an assembly of their allies and spoke in this manner (adapted for brevity):

“We acknowledge that we have done our allies wrong (the Peisistratids) … We were deceived by false prophecies, drove out our friends … we handed the city over to a thankless people who then expelled us and our king. Now Athens is proud and a growing power, which Boetia and Chalcis have learned to their cost … We will try to make amends with your help. This is why we have sent for Hippias and sought your help to restore what we took away.” (5.91)

Question 29

Corinthian arguments against Hippias’ restoration

How does Socles the Corinthian respond to the Spartan’s ploy to subjugate Athens?

Answer 29

Words to this effect:

“By destroying the rule of equals, Sparta will turn the world upside down. If Sparta thinks tyranny a good idea, then take it up yourselves before imposing it on others! But you have never tried tyranny and your constitution avoids it! If you had experienced tyranny, then perhaps you would give better advice.” Herodotus -5.92

Question 30

Corinthian arguments against Hippias’ restoration

What story does Socles relate to the assembly of Spartan allies?

Answer 30

He relates that the priestess Pythia had prophesied that Eetion’s son with Labda would destroy the ruling families in the name of bringing justice to Corinth. Ten men were sent to kill him but the new born’s smile put them off; Labda hid her son, Cypselus, who survived to become a tyrant killing and bankrupting many. His son Periander, who was initially mild, became a despicable tyrant including having all the women strip off their clothes to enable his wife’s ghost to relate to him where a friend had left his money!
Hence Corinth did not want to have anything to do with tyrants!!

Question 31

Corinthian arguments against Hippias’ restoration

Was Socles successful?

Answer 31

Yes; the assembly refused to follow the Spartan plan and Hippias left to approach the Persians, a move that precipitated the Ionian Revolt.

Question 32

Corinthian arguments against Hippias’ restoration

How likely is it that Socles’ speech as reported by Herodotus is genuine?

Answer 32

Difficult to assess but it does give an insight into what the Corinthians thought of tyranny and that the Spartan allies agreed with Socles.

Herodotus is keen to note how his society were aware that tyranny could only be short term, two generations according to the story, and that it was not something that the Greeks generally wanted to suffer - they saw it as violent and unstable and a huge abuse of power.

The earlier term of tryant was used to describe someone who overthrew the aristocrats and who were champions of the middle classes. Herodotus and others were now using the term to describe those who took power illegally and who were unconstitutional, cruel, and brutal rulers.

Question 33

Speech writing

How does the term tyrant change in Herodotus’ time?

Answer 33

The earlier term of tryant was used to describe someone who overthrew the aristocrats and who were champions of the middle classes. Herodotus and others were now using the term to describe those who took power illegally and who were unconstitutional, cruel, and brutal rulers.