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History 121 The Rise and
Fall of Athens
I. Athens during the Archaic Age
        A. stages of government: monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, democracy
        B. oligarchy: rule by aristocrats
                1. only aristocrats could serve on the areopagus (the council)
                2. only aristocrats could serve as one of the 
                        nine archons (magistrates)
        C. peasants heavily in debt; want changes
        D. Law Code of Draco, 621 BCE
        E. Solon, the reformer - appointed chief archon in 594
                1. canceled debts
                2. let all free men particpate in the assembly which
                        elected magistrates and approved legislation
                3. created the council of 400 to balance the power
                        of the areopagus
                4. created a class system based on wealth, not birth
                        - government offices opened to wealthy commoners
        F. Peisistratus, the tyrant - seized power in 560
                - champion of the poor (redistributed exiled nobles' land)
        G. Cleisthenes, the democrat (d. 500 BCE)
                1. redistricting the city (from 4 to 10 tribes)
                2. each tribe annually elects 50 men to serve 
                        on the council (enlarged to 500)
                3. ostracism (ostrakon)
II. The Persian Wars, 499-479 BCE [MAP]
        A. Persian Empire - encompassed Macedonia and Ionia [MAP]
        B. Athens assists Ionians in revolt (499 BCE); Darius wants revenge
        C. Athenians defeat large Persian army at Marathon (490 BCE)
        D. Thermopylae - huge Persian army led by Xerxes defeats small 
                Spartan army (480 BCE)
        E. Salamis - Athenians led by Themistocles lure Persian fleet into 
                Bay of Salamis and destroy them (480 BCE)
        F. Superiority of the Athenian Navy: the trireme
                [Image 1] [Image 2] [Image 3]
III. The Athenian Empire [MAP]
        A. Delian League formed to drive the Persians from the region
        B. Athens assumes control of the league
                - Sparta was preoccupied with the helots
                - manipulates it for its own purposes
                - League basically becomes the Athenian Empire
IV. The Classical Age: Democratic Athens
        -- Thucydides: Funeral Oration of Pericles
                1. How does Pericles describe Athenian government
                        and society?
                2. According to Pericles, what are the guiding
                        principles of Athenian democracy and citizenship?
                3. What were the failings of Athenian democracy?
V. The Peloponnesian Wars, 431-404 BCE [MAP]
        A. Athens aids Corcyra against Corinth, 435 BCE
        B. Sparta invades Attica, 431 BCE
        C. plague at Athens, 430 BCE; Sparta still can't defeat Athens
        D. peace in 421 BCE
        E. rise of Alcibiades in Athens
        F. Athens attacks and is defeated by Syracuse, 415 BCE [Map]
        G. Alcibiades defects to Sparta, then Persia
        H. Persia joins Sparta against Athens
        I. democracy losing ground to oligarchy in Athens
        J. Lysander and Spartans destroy Athenian fleet at Hellespont, 405 BCE
        K. Athens unconditionally surrenders to Sparta, 404 BCE

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