HST 121 - The Rise and Fall of Athens

	A. the Archaic Period: Athens rising to power
		1. monarchy
			a. prevalent during Bronze Age and Dark Age
			a. single, all-powerful ruler, such as a king
         	2. oligarchy: rule by a few = rule by aristocrats
			a. aristocrats overthrew the king
                 	b. they ran the government through the areopagus (the council)
			c. only aristocrats could sit on the areopagus
			d. only aristocrats could serve as one of the 
                        	nine archons (magistrates)
		3. aristocrats dominate society
			a. they made life difficult for the common people
			b. by the 7th century, large numbers of commoners
				were broke, without land and often enslaved
			c. the commoners agitate for reforms
				a. economic reforms
				b. political reforms
		4. Law Code of Draco, 621 BCE
		5. Solon, the reformer - appointed chief archon in 594
                	a. canceled debts
                	b. let all free men particpate in the assembly which
                        	elected magistrates and approved legislation
                	c. created the council of 400 to balance the power
                       	 	of the areopagus
                	d. created a class system based on wealth, not birth
                       	 	- government offices opened to wealthy commoners
		6. tyranny
			a. classical tyranny very different than modern tyranny
			b. a tyrant was simply someone who seized control of the government
			c. Peisistratus (d. 527 BCE)
				1. champion of the poor
				2. seized power in 560 BCE
				3. redistributed exiled nobles' land
			d. Cleisthenes (d. 500 BCE)
				1. followed the example of Peisistratus
				2. redistricted Athens to dilute the power of the aristocrats
				3. given the nickname "the democrat"
				4. ostracism (ostrakon)
	B. the Classical Period: the height of Athens' power
 		1. The Persian Wars (499-479 BCE) [MAP]
        		a. the Persian Empire encompassed Macedonia and Ionia [MAP]
			b. Athens assists the Ionians in revolt (499 BCE)
			c. Darius I wants revenge
			d. Marathon (490 BCE)
				1. Athenians defeat much larger Persian army
				2. superior discipline and tactics of hoplite warfare
         		e. Thermopylae (480 BCE) 
				1. Xerxes wants revenge
				2. small Spartan-led contingent holds off massive Persian army for a week
				3. the Persians eventually surround and crush the Greeks
         		f. Salamis (480 BCE)
				1. Athenian-led navy lures Persian fleet into narrow Bay of Salamis
				2. the Greeks win due to bottlenecking and superior ships
				3. the trireme [Image 1] [Image 2] [Image 3]
		2. The Delian League [MAP]
			a. Sparta was preoccupied with the helots
			b. thus, Athens leads a league of city-states intended to defend the region
			c. named after the island of Delos where its treasury was located
			d. Athens manipulates the league and it basically becomes Athens' empire
		3. Democratic Athens
			a. democracy flourishing in Athens; even more people now eligible for office
			b. but it's not a true democracy
			c. excerpt from Thucydides Funeral Oration of Pericles:
				Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are 
				rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Its administration 
				favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy. 
				If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private 
				differences; if to social standing, advancement in public life falls to 
				reputation for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere 
				with merit... Such is the Athens for which these men, in the assertion of 
				their resolve not to lose her, nobly fought and died; and well may every 
				one of their survivors be ready to suffer in her cause.... 
			d. the citizen must be willing to fight and die for Athens
			e. but only adult males born in Athens get full citizenship
				- i.e., only about 15% of the population got full citizenship rights
		4. The Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BCE [MAP]
			a. cause: Sparta's fear of Athens' steadily rising power
			b. spark: Athens butting into Sparta's sphere of influence
				1. Phase 1
					a. Athens aids Corcyra against Corinth (435 BCE)
        				b. Sparta invades Attica (431 BCE)
        				c. plague in 430 BCE, but Sparta still can't defeat Athens
        				d. peace in 421 BCE
				2. Phase 2
					a. rise of Alcibiades in Athens
        				b. Athens attacks and is defeated by Syracuse (415 BCE)
        				c. Alcibiades defects to Sparta
					d. Sparta, with help of Alcibiades and Persia, renew the war
       					e. the Spartans destroy the Athenian fleet at the Hellespont (405 BCE)
        				f. Athens unconditionally surrenders to Sparta (404 BCE)