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The Rise of Athens

The Rise of Athens. To Peisistratos. Attica. Athens. Relatively crappy soil, perfect for olives! Excellent port(s ) Geographically determined large polis Good red clay Silver mines Mt Penteli Where the Dorian and Ionian worlds meet

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The Rise of Athens

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  1. The Rise of Athens To Peisistratos

  2. Attica

  3. Athens • Relatively crappy soil, perfect for olives! • Excellent port(s) • Geographically determined large polis • Good red clay • Silver mines • Mt Penteli • Where the Dorian and Ionian worlds meet • And of course the most important: Autochthonoi Athenians with pretty slender legs ;)

  4. synoikismos

  5. Early Athenian society • Aristocratic familial social system: Four tribes divided into three phratres • Eupatrids, well-born, on top of the heap. • Hippeis, cavalry, next • Zeugitai – the ones conjoined • Thetes, po' trash • 683, The College of Archons: Eponymous, Polymarch, Basileus • Areopagus • Thesmothetes – judges

  6. Cylonian Affair, 632 • (Not from BattlestarGallactica) • Olympic victor • Attempted coup; he takes the Akropolis. • Megacles, one of the Alcmaeonidae, leads the opposition with archons in tow. Lock the Cylonians in the temple. • Megacles cuts the rope to a well • Miasma- The Curse of the Alcmaeonidae

  7. Drakon • Code of Draco, 621 • Published law code, shows decline in power of Aristocracy • Similar to Hammurabi

  8. 594, Solon • Debt enslavement crisis: Attic farms turn multiple bad crops. • Hektemoroi, basically sharecroppers. Horoi are mortgaged farms. • Sole archon because of his sophrosyne, self control and moderation. • Cancels all debts • Changes coin weights from Pheidonian to Euboic for easy trade East. Encourages olive and grape production…only! • Offers citizenship to foreigners of extraordinary ability, opens the city to Metoikoi (metics). • Establishes social classes based on agricultural output. • Established boule of 400. Ekklesia of all citizens, Pnyx. Court of appeal.

  9. Effects of Solonian constitution • Moderate approach made everyone mad • 10 year, self-imposed exile • De facto anarchy with powerful locals vying for power • The strongman in favour of demotic privilege from the east, beyond Mt Penteli from Marathon down to Laurion emerges…

  10. Peisistratos • War hero vs Megara • Solon warns the people after his return…but everyone wants it • Peisistratos asks the assembly for a bodyguard for his safety, which he promptly uses to take the Akropolis • 561-56 he rules, but driven out, so off to other tyrants to learn • Comes back rich & smart, gets rid of his wife (?), marries Megacles' daughter, needs a great entrance into the city…

  11. Megacles eventually gets mad • Peisistratos wants a clear succession for his first children • Deinomache complains to her father • They drive out Peisistratos again • So, he regroups and invades Attica • Battle of Pellini • So kids, if you want something and don't get it, keep trying

  12. Public works of Peisistratos • He actually governs well and fairly, Ur Parthenon, Olympian Zeus

  13. Administration of Peisistratos • Reinstates archons, ekklesia, & law courts and adds circuit judges to bench. Circuit justice is genius! The people love it and it keeps local aristocracy out of touch. • 'Peisistratos did not (seek to) change the constitution, but to dominate it.' - Kagan • He makes sure his people are in charge of civic institutions. • Exiles those he finds difficult: egAlcmaeonidae • Medici parallel? • Somehow, the large farms of aristocrats are broken up • Readily lends cash to farmers. Did they buy land back? • Athenian agriculture blossoms ;) when it hadn't before • 5% tax. Popular in lower classes, not so much the aristocracy. • The farmer from Hymettos – the Souda

  14. 527, death of Peisistratos • Hippias and Hipparchos • 514, Tyrannicides kill Hipparchos • Hippias becomes paranoid and becomes 'tyrannical' • Meanwhile the Alcmaeonidae (previously thrown out, again) make nice with Delphi • 'First, free the Athenians' • 511-10 King Cleomenes • Hippias flees to Persia

  15. Summary of accomplishments of tyranny in Athens • Economic expansion: Olives and grapes; each oikos is reunited with its kleros; Athenian pottery from Sicily – Ukraine. Overtake Corinth as primo pottery purveyors • Diminution of aristocratic power: judges, land allocation. Athens become undisputed center of Attica. • Continuation of the archons, experience of self government by the non-aristocratic under tyranny. Ultimate irony that tyranny leads to democracy in Athens.

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