The emergence of Democracy in Athens Flashcards
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
What is the broad context of the Athenian move to democracy?
The fall of tyranny causing a period of political upheaval.
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
Whose flight left a power vacuum in Athens after the fall of the tyrants?
Peisistratids.
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
Who was Cleisthenes?
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
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
Who was Isogoras?
Athenian aristocrat
Friend of the Peisistratids
Elected Chief Archon in 508 - seemed to have the backing of the aristocrats.
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
What reforms did Cleisthenes introduce while Isagoras was Archon in 508
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.)
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
How did Isagoras react to Cleisthenes’ atttempt to reform Athens?
Isaogoras invited the Spartan King Cleomenes to invade - a King with ambitions and a large army!
Isagoras and Cleisthenes had guest-friendship ties
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
What did King Cleomenes do when he invaded Athens?
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’.
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
How did Isogoras and King Cleomenes try to reform Athens? What was the reaction?
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.
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?
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)
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
After the citizens sought Cleisthenes’ return, what did Spartan King Cleomenes do?
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.
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
What happened when the Spartan King Cleomenes’ alliance moved against Athens?
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
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
How did the Athenians respond to the Pelopponnesian alliance’s collapse?
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.
Cleisthenes and rivalry with Isagoras - and Spartan involvement
How does Herodotus evaluate the aftermath of the Athenian defeats of the Spartan-Pelopponnesia alliance?
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…”
Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes
Why is there a dispute surrounding whether Cleisthenes introduced the reforms?
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.
Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes
How does Aristotle compare Cleisthenes’ reforms to Solon’s?
“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.
Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes
What were the two strands of Cleisthenes’ reforms?
1) Reorganisation of the tribes and demes (suburbs of Athens)
2) Political reforms
Introduction of isegoria by Cleisthenes
How were the tribes and demes organised prior to Cleisthenes’ reforms?
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.
What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?
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.
What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?
What did Herodotus think of Cleisthenes’ reasons for his reforms?
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.
What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?
What were the repercusssions of Cleisthenes’ reforms?
Citizens from all levels of life - townsmen, countrymen, coastal traders - could play a political role.
The power of the aristocratic families was curtailed.
What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?
How did Cleisthenes alter the demes?
demes - villages/suburbs of Athens.
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.
What was Cleisthenes’ reorganisation of the tribes and demes?
How was each deme constituted politically?
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.
Cleithenes and political reforms
Solon had created a council, the boule, what did Cleisthenes do?
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!)
Cleithenes and political reforms
What was the ecclesia?
Greek: ekklesia
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.
