The Athenian Empire: The Problem. In the 50 years after 480 Athens became the dominant (tho hardly the sole) power in the Aegean. How did she acquire this status? and how did the other states respond? Ancient historians describe Athenian domination as as "empire", and suggest that she was a "tyrant" state.

But what do these words mean?

What is the case for both in respect to Athens? What does the evidence suggest? Classical realism? Defensive realism?

Some vocabulary:

The chronology of the "inter-war" period

It is important to bear in mind that the victory in the war against Persia and the Athenian tendency to attribute her own success (at Salamis) in that struggle to the democratic reforms and greater inclusion was invigorating both politically and intellectually. Athens was the most dynamic state in the Greek world because she had pushed democracy (inclusion) the furthest. The dynamism certainly contributed to political dominance. Moreover, Athens was also much more oriented to commerce and manufacturing than toward agriculture; she was relatively more capitalistic in her orientation (Aristeides advised the Athenians to lay claim to the hegmonia (that is the leadership of a league) and leaving their fields to live in the town; for there would be livelihood for all..ACG 137)

Bourgeois and Marxist historians have long debated whether the imperialism is an inevitable consequence of capitalist democracies.

The Strategic Dilemma facing...

  1. Introduction: This period is usually divided into three periods based on the changes in the structure of the Athenian / Delian League.
    1. 478-461: characterized by the establishment of the League (by 'consent' and of Athenian equality with Sparta (ACG 129-130). Persia checked.
    2. 460-448: the transition from a consensual confederacy to "empire" and the introduction of the "radical democracy" (ACH 132a; 134-6). Formally the transition is marked by the decision to move the treasury of the League to Athens (from Delos).
    3. 448-432: formal peace with Persia and Sparta, but both sides (Athens and Sparta) prepare for war. Though official justification for the league is apparently gone, Athens continues to exploit it to support programs at home.
    4. The general strategy of this period was to secure the Aegean from the Persians. To do so meant a naval policy, for only through a fleet could Xerxes really threaten Greece. After the capture of the Hellespont (479), the Spartans sail for home, the Athenians and Ionians remain and besiege Sestos. This was an independent action and where Thucydides begins his history.
      1. Athens had, till Sestos, accepted the leadership of Sparta. Now she is motivated to pursue an in dependant policy by ties of sentiment, of the necessity to strengthen her naval and commercial ties and by the confidence of her citizens.
      2. The re-construction of her walls and their extension to the port of the Peiraeus gave the Athenians the base they needed on the mainland.
  2. Forces at Work ... The strategic dilemma in more detail
    1. At Sparta
      1. Tension within the governing ranks as corruption disturbs the equilibrium (ACG 130); outside influences make helots restless and lead to an outright revolt that was finally suppressed in 460. Thereafter, Sparta pursues a cautious foreign policy.
      2. The allies of Sparta: concerned about her apparent inability to deal effectively with Athenian expansion. Only in did 430s did the problems at Corcyra and at Potidaea and then the Megarian Decree induce the allies to force Sparta to declare war or lose her allies.
    2. At Athens (ACG 130) .
      1. In general
        1. At the end of the Persian Wars, Athens had the means (her fleet) and the reasons (traditional and commercial ties with Ionia) to pursue an independent foreign policy in those areas where Sparta had neither the will nor the means.
        2. The justification for the league was first and foremost to liberate and to defend the Greek states, but also to ensure peace and to secure trade in the Aegean. The maritime Greek states stood to benefit. Piracy, an endemic problem without a dominant naval force, was suppressed.
      2. The structure of the league: analogous to Peloponnesian League (two bodies, the Athenian assembly and the 'allies', the latter meeting on the sacred island of Delos, hence called the 'Delian League'. Each of the allies made a contribution (phoros) in ships, money or some combination based on an assessment.
      3. Until 448, she pursues an active anti-Persian policy. Thereafter, she "exploits" her allies; i.e., she moves the treasury to Athens for the sake of "security", and uses the income of the league to support internal programs (ACH138) and to expand the democracy.
  3. Was Athens an Empire? Does she rule unwilling states by force and intimidation?
    1. Her allies, after 25 years of satisfaction with her leadership, become restless and disaffected as their autonomy is gradually, but systematically, lost (as they convert their phoros to money. Note the revolts indicated on this map by the underlined name. Implications of revolts?" are we dealing with willing states?
    2. (ACH 136) "there were various reasons for the revolts, but the most important were failure to provide phoros or ships...for the Athenians made no allowances in their demands and were severe in applying pressure; moreover in doing so the allies / subjects were ...rendering themselves unprepared and incompetent in war when they revolted" ACH 130) when they chose to provide tax instead of service
    3. "After the Athenians had gained their empire, they treated their allies dictatorially, except for Chios, Lesbos and Samos [only these still provided ships]. These they regarded as guardians of the empire, allowing them to keep their own constitution and rule over any subjects they happened to have." (Aristotle, Constitution of Athens 24). The implication here is that Athens too intervened in the constitutional order of her subjects.
    4. The clearest sign of autonomy and freedom for Greek state was to strike its own coinage, but "If anyone in the cities [of the Delian League] strikes silver coins and does not use the currency, weights and measures of the Athenians, but foreign currency, weights and measures ... [the Athenians will] exact penal retribution" (Klearkhos? Decree, ESHAG 101 of about 448??). Note: the treasury of the League moved from Delos to Athens in about 450 BC.
  4. The relationship between league and domestic affairs at Athens...The test here is whether Athens was a tyrant, using the resources of their subjects for their own purposes.
      1. Thucydides records that Athens was labeled by others as a tyrannos polis, ACG 138).
      2. The misthos = state salaries: "Kimon was using [his wealth] to win over the poor...providing dinner every day to any needy Athenian...clothing...it was because Perikles found himself outdone in these demagogic techniques that he turned to the distribution of public funds...[and] bribed the multitude with theater tickets and salaries [misthos] ACG 141. More than 20,000 men were supported from the tribute and the taxes of the allies. ACG 137
      3. for the building program: Greece was seen suffering a grievous insult to be ruled by an open tyranny as it watched the Athenians gilding their polis with monies that it (the allies) had been compelled to contribute for war... ACG 138.
      4. distribution of booty: ACG 131 (when the spoils that had been captured had been sold, the demos had a plentiful supply of money for all its needs); also ACG 140; 142
  5. Athens' ability to pursue this policy successfully depended not only on her allies, but also on the continuation and development of her democracy (see below).
    1. That her policy was, to varying degrees anti-Spartan, was based on several considerations:
      1. mutual suspicion arising out of distinctly antithetical political systems. Careful: both agreed that those who fight should vote, the questions was how inclusive the system should be. Athens was considered to be 'radically' different.
      2. a justifiable belief that Sparta would not tolerate a rival of equal power for long,
      3. it is not clear what the ultimate goal of the Athenians was; nonetheless, she recognized that the expansion of her power and domination would be opposed.
    2. In order for Athens' position to be secured and her ambitions realized, Athens had to expand her democracy further. If the institutions (i.e., the participation in those institutions, a key factor in any city-state, ACG 123-4; 126; 137-40) were to be expanded, then means had to be found to subsidize the participation of the lower classes. Funds for this purpose were obtained from the allied contributions (i.e., she had to expand the number of citizens and to find ways to support their participation as 'fighters/voters'). Participation, 'citizenship', then came to be more privileged (ACH 128; 137; 141; cf. ESHAG 64) and as such was also now more restricted.
    3. Justification of the Athenian position: arguments could be produced on both sides of this important issue.
      1. Athens did offend nomos by her "taxation without representation", but she also provided security, a service.
      2. It was both 'expedient' and 'rational' to adopt such a policy (we will cover this issue in another lecture).
      3. A footnote to history: Athens lost the war and lost her empire, nonetheless, she retained and continued to develop the radical democracy out of her own commercial resources. Implications??
  6. Social and military resources of Athens --Grew substantially with empire. General Population 400,000; 186,000 Athenian citizens. The navy and democracy related
    1. Athenian society: 186,000 Athenian citizens of which ca 4,000 in upper two classes, 100,000 in middle and 65,000 thetes. Also: 30,000 resident aliens and 200,000 slaves (a major problem, but not racial or agrarian; generally humane, slaves competed with free labor for wage, manumission easily obtained ESHAG Doc 73).
    2. Military resources
      1. hoplites (heavy and light): 23,000
      2. cavalry & trierachs: 1,400
      3. thetes: 18,000 = rowers
      4. fleet: standing fleet of 100 ships = 12-20,000 men
    3. Public service. Of 40,000 adult males and in any one year, 500 would serve as members of boulé, 6000 jurymen, 1400 magistrates at home or abroad = 7900 or 25% of population. In war, up to 20,000 served in fleet.
    4. The empire made Athens the only state with a substantial cash income (about 600 T = approx $300 million). Latter essential for a fleet, one third of ships had to be replaced every year. Rest used to pay for public service. Still, Athens had built up a substantial reserve (8000 T = $2,800,000,000,000) originally on Delos, later in temple of Athena in Athens (Tribute Lists). 1 T = 25 Kg (60 lbs.) of Ag; some costs: 3 T for one trireme; construction of Propylaea and Parthenon 2000 T; siege at Potidaea ca 6000T. N.B.: 1T=6000 work-days or 23 years or labor.

Classroom exercise We will do this on Thursday.