Democracy in Ancient Greece Final Exam Scott Abel What impact did warfare, if any, have on Athenian democracy?

Without the military significance of the lower classes in ancient Athens, democracy might have never lasted because the elite could simply take back power. Over the decades, power in ancient Athens changed hands from the kings, to aristocrats, then to hoplites, and finally to thetes. Democracy in Athens became an important part of the poorer classes abilities and rights. Ancient Athenian social classes came to power depending on their strategic military significance and as each class became more relevant on the battlefield, their power grew. Aristotle summed up this argument well, the class that does the fighting is the most powerful.1 Warfare played an important role in the politics of ancient Athens and brought Athenians away from the hereditary monarchy that ruled. During the era of the monarch, the aristocracy controlled the common people and forced them to work their fields. The commoners possessed little, if any say in the governance of the land. The ancient Athenian nobility took power away from the traditional monarchy by enacting checks on the power of the king. The nobility eliminated the traditional monarchies because, either the kings lacked martial prowess or that Corduss sons capitulated the monarchy in exchange for the archonship. In the new system, the King Archon and the Polemarch conducted the traditional ceremonies and the Council of the Areopagus oversaw the laws, along with punishing offenders. The oligarchy based the system on allowing people to hold office only on birth and wealth. Members of the Areopagus held their seats for life.2
1

J.M. Moore, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, (Los Angeles: U. of California Press, 1975), 25. 2 Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, I 1-6, eds. by J. Moore, Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy, 147-149.

The ancient Athenians government changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarch with the nobility making important decisions, and with most people left with few rights or responsibilities. The nobility potentially rode ponies into combat, despite their small size and lack of stirrups.3 The early cavalry and weaponry of the nobility presumably could easily defeat a disorganized mess of peasants armed with farm implements or basic weaponry, thus cementing their power. Once the nobility lost their tactical advantage over other classes of warriors, its power waned. A new class, the hoplites, came to power because the nobility could no longer provide security to Athens and the ranks of the hoplite class became the backbone of the army. The hoplites usually possessed eight to twelve acres of land, which enough land to support themselves and their military responsibilities. The hoplites in the middle of the fifth century composed of 20,000 out of a total Athenian population of 150,000 adults, but became the most powerful political class, despite their low numbers.4 Cleisthenes rallied supporters, composing mainly from the demos, creating reform that weakened the aristocracy. Aristocratic reactionaries sought help from Sparta, which dispatched forces and occupied the Acropolis. Including hoplites, without help from Cleisthenes, Athenian commoners besieged the Acropolis and forced the Spartans to surrender.5 Hoplites were a militarily relevant force in the fifth century deployed in the phalanx formations and possessed voting rights at home to express political power.6 The hoplite class turned the Athenian government, with the help of reformers, from an oligarchic institution into a moderate democracy.
3

Victor Hanson, Hoplites into Democrats: The Changing Ideology of Athenian Infantry, eds. By Ober and Hedrick, Demokratia: A Conversation Democracies, Ancient and Modern, (Princeton: PUP, 1996), 290 4 Hanson, Hoplites into Democrats,291- 293. 5 Josiah Ober, The Athenian Revolution of 508/7 BC: Violence, Authority, and the Origins of Democracy, ed. Robinson, Ancient Greek Democracy, (Malden, MA:Blackwell, 2007), 96-102. 6 Hanson, Hoplites into Democrats, 291, 296.

The development of the Athenian Navy brought a radical democracy to Athens, because the thetes used their political capital earned in battle to gain more representation. Themistocles proposed the Athenians use surplus talents to construct one hundred triremes, which the Athenians agreed to do.7 The deployment of triremes had unintended social and political consequences, such as the granting of more power to the thetes. The Athenian Army proved its ineffectiveness in 446 BCE with loss of the Athenian land empire, resulting the draining of the hoplites confidence. Furthermore, the thetes looked at themselves in a new light because no segment of the Athenian military matched the Athenian fleet. The thetes gained more confidence when they compared themselves physically to the aristocracy, many of whom were overweight and not as healthy as the commoner oarsmen.8 The thetes, because of their capability to fight at sea, gained power in democratic Athens. The thetes military effectiveness at sea gave them good reason to focus political power in their hands. According the writer of The Constitution of the Athenians, the hoplites were ineffective compared to the hoplites of Athens rivals, whereas the Athenian Navy commanded the seas. Athenians could control islands, as islanders could only with great difficulty organize and support a large army, which also required a navy capable of defeating the Athenians. With a powerful navy Athens could cutoff mainland powers from maritime trade, thus slowing down the rivals economies. The mobility of the Athenian Navy was incredible, triremes disembarked soldiers or marines onto enemy shores without any or significant resistance. Athenian triremes sailed with less risk from the enemy than soldiers by a land route. Not only could the navy ravage the crops of
7 8

Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, XXII. Barry Strass, Trireme as a School of Democracy, eds. By Ober and Hedrick, Demokratia: A Conversation Democracies, Ancient and Modern, (Princeton: PUP, 1996), 315-316.

enemies, but also protected the importation of grain.9 The strategic advantages of the navy over the army gave the thetes significant political power, because Athens could only hope to defeat its rival through a naval strategy. The commoners or thetes of Athens used their naval power to leverage political power, thus becoming an important force in Athenian politics. Xenophon, or whoever wrote the essay, proclaimed the poor possess more power than the wealthy because the poor and ordinary people were the sailors and the shipwrights. He also stated that the thetes had more power than the hoplite class and that the system was more just than others, even if he disagreed with the Athenian Constitution. The citizenry selected people to enter public office through elections and random selection, which many desired because of promises of pay. The ordinary citizen had the right to address the Assembly, which allowed the masses to protect their own interests from the political attacks of the wealthy.10 The ordinary people took quite a few rights for themselves at the expense of the wealthier citizens. Although the wealthy would prefer to control the state themselves, the common people prevented this by leveraging their military power into political power. The thetes role in the military protected their way of life and gave them the confidence needed to maintain their political power. Life at sea gave the thetes discipline superior to that of their fellow Athenian classes, a sense of pride, and regular pay from imperial revenues, all of which drew more thetes to volunteer for sea service. The sailors forged senses of collective responsibility, organization, and unity within the wooden walls of the trireme. Furthermore, their military experience gave them an identity
9

Xenophon, The Constitution of the Athenians, II 1-6, eds. By Ober and Hedrick, Demokratia: A Conversation Democracies, Ancient and Modern, (Princeton: PUP, 1996). 10 Xenophon, The Constitution of the Athenians, I 1-9.

inseparable from democratic Athens, as proven during an oligarchic coup in 411. Rather than revert to oligarchy, the Athenian fleet at Samos revolted. As the most effective protector of democracy and Athens, the thetes learned to become citizens of Athens.11 Without the navy, the Athenian thetes would not have been able to protect their statuses as citizens contributing greatly to democratic Athens, resulting in a less radical democracy. But a radical democracy was stronger because it enfranchised more citizens into the government. The thetes and the navy protected democratic Athens from foreign powers that preferred an oligarchy in Athens, which helped forge a unique identity among the city-states. In Athens, the military significance of a class determined much of its role in democracy. The fighting abilities of each class marked the amount of political power it possessed. Each successively poorer class from the wealthy, to hoplites, to thetes took power away from their economic superiors to gain more political power. Athens role as the premier sea-power in the Mediterranean world permitted the thetes to improve their political standings as they were essential to the Athenian Navy.

11

Strass, Trireme as a School of Democracy, 316-222

How did hard and soft elements work within Athenian Democracy? Democratic Athens possessed a unique system of written laws and a constitution that determined how the administrators governed the polis. Athenian society determined what policies to pursue, but much of the population could not play a significant role even in the most radical periods of Athenian democracy. Each class reflected their political power in public, showing a variety of statues a person could have depending on birth and wealth. Ancient Athenian laws reflected the importance and position of each class from the elite to the slaves. The Athenian aristocracy possessed the most powerful and wealthy individuals within the polis, but even with such backgrounds, powerful members of the elite earned their influence. A wealthy Athenian belonging to the elite had greater opportunities to become an influential man in politics than those of poorer origins. Athenians considered the elite the best men for becoming generals or strategos, who could be reelected indefinitely to this position.12 This showed that citizens recognized the limits of democracy and that people could not argue over some military decisions in wartime, therefore there was a need for an undisputed military commander. During wartime, enemy raids upon the lands of aristocracy and this significantly drained their wealth and inclined them to peace.13 Therefore, the position a strategos disinclined the wealthy to use the position in combination with warfare for their ends. Aristocrats such as Cimon and Pericles used their wealth and influence to gain positions of popularity. Cimon handed out food and money to the poor to gain public support and Pericles argued for state funds to support the poorer citizens of Athenian society.14 Although the wealthy
12

Rhodes, The Polis and the Alternatives, Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 6, The Fourth Century, 566; Xenophon, The Constitution of the Athenians, I 3. 13 Xenophon, The Constitution of the Athenians, II 14. 14 Terry Buckley, Aspects of Greek History: 750-323 BC, (New York: Routledge, 1996) 334-337.

could be outvoted on certain issues, a few from their ranks used their wealth and charisma to improve their political standing amongst their fellow citizens. A man could not simply be wealthy or born in Athens to participate in local politics and be a citizen. Rather he was the son of two Athenian citizens and at least eighteen years old, along with completing participation in mandatory military service. A candidate citizen entered a training program, unless exempted by the courts, to train with the bow, javelin, and catapult.15 Besides learning to fight in armor, the candidate went on guard duty. Once proven proficient and knowledgeable in warfare, he received a spear and a shield from the state. After two years of military service, he received a military cloak.16 The Athenians looked down upon other non-Athenians as they could not usually become citizens and therefore Athenians probably regarded other ethnicities and even other Greeks as incapable of becoming true Athenians. Young men earned their Athenian citizenship by proving their abilities and even if they were wealthy, they could not circumvent the laws. The Athenians unwillingness to make foreigners or descendents of foreigners citizens did not mean that they refused to use foreigners for their own ends in wartime. In one of his Philippics, Demosthenes rallied Athenians against possibility of foreign occupation. The army Demosthenes desired, however, would compose of no more than three quarters of foreign mercenaries.17 Therefore, the Athenians acknowledged the importance of foreign soldiers as they desperately wanted to maintain their sovereignty. The measure showed the limits of a democratic polis and Athenian society,

15 16

Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, XLII 1-3; Xenophon, The Constitution of the Athenians, III 5. Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, XLII 3-5. 17 Demosthenes, First Philippic, trans. David Phillips, Athenian Political Oratory: 16 Key Speeches, (New York: Routledge, 2004), 89-90.

demonstrating its weaknesses by emphasizing the small numbers of the aristocratic cavalry and hoplite soldiers. Ideals of democracy extended down to the lowest levels of Athenian society resulting in the improvement of their lives. Noncitizens such as slaves and metics received some rights even though they had little chance of becoming citizens. They lived an undisciplined lifestyle and citizens could not strike a slave in the street as slaves wore clothes that closely resembled the much of the citizenrys garments. Nor could citizens expect slaves to step aside for them. Slaves could potentially live in luxury, although it is unknown how many actually did, as the state hired slaves to work for pay and slaves often used this money to pay for their freedom. As the state needed slaves and metics for maintaining a fleet and industrial purposes, they received freedom of speech.18 The rights of the metics and slaves were a tribute to Athenian systems tolerance. Slaves and metics did not have as many rights in Athenians society and had little, if any say in the government, but they still possessed rights nonetheless. The rest of Athens male society, such as the lower and middling sort, used the democratic legislative system to expand and protect the power of the people. The Boule, or legislative body, made law and passed budgets. The Boule handled various daily activities and the general obligations of legislative governments. It provided funds, usually from tribute, to maintain dockyards for ships and shrines for the gods.19 The reformer Cleisthenes established the Boule of 500 with the help of the common people. The new system granted much more power to the people than under the previous system, therefore making it much more democratic.20 As a result, the Boule supported the lower
18 19

Xenophon, The Constitution of the Athenians, I 10-12. Xenophon, The Constitution of the Athenians, III 1-3. 20 Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, XXI 1-6, XXII 1.

classes in times of civil strife and prevented the possibility of mass disenfranchisement, which made revolt from amongst the powerless unlikely.21 With the assistance of Cleisthenes, the hoplites and thetes grabbed political power and changed the laws in the interests of the general public at the cost of the elite. The law reflected the increasing importance of these classes to the security of Athens. Few records exist about the political role of women in democratic Athens, therefore women likely played little role in making policy. Women could be divided into three sections that included citizens, foreigners, and slaves. Ideally, Athenian female citizens were silent and practically invisible. Confined to their houses, only male relatives would probably see them. Wealthy Athenian women likely only went outside for funerals and festivals. But, many Athenian women needed to work outside and accomplish tasks such as shopping for food, therefore the ideal Athenian women could only be of privilege. Foreign woman residents did not need to subject themselves to the same restrictions.22 Women fell into a group that could not vote in democratic politics, along with metics and slaves. Although some knew about civic and politics, they could only attempt to convince their husbands to vote on their ideas.23 The wealthy women received the most restrictions with their roles limited to ceremonies. Women played roles in Athenian society but politics was officially not among them. The laws, policies, and constitution of Athens displayed the functions and capabilities of each class. Athenian society during the classical period left all classes with some rights, but common citizens possessed the real power. The slaves and
21 22

Aristotle, The Constitution of Athens, III 12-13. Michael Jameson, Women and Democracy in Fourth-century Athens, ed. Eric Robinson, (Malden: Blackwell, 2007), 281-288. 23 Marilyn Katz, Women and Democracy in Ancient Greece, ed. Eric Robinson, (Malden: Blackwell, 2007), 293-294.

foreigners had some rights, but could not really determine the policy of the polis. The wealthy could lead the poor but they could not force policy upon the rest of the population. Ultimately, Athenian democracy gave contained a population with varying rights and abilities dependent upon birth and wealth.

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