Pomeroy, chapter 3: Archaic Greece (c.750/700-480 BC)

What is a Polis?

A city-state. A defined geographical area comprising a city and its adjacent territory, which together make up a single, self-governing, political unit.

What is Synoecism

Political unification.

Simple with small city-states (often consisting of a single main town, and adjacent plain with some outlying villages. small = kinship).

More complex for regional territories: where the city-states contained several important towns. Drawn out process (not much knowledge about it), thought to have begun in 9th century and crystallising in 750-700 BC.

Who is called politai?

All men in a city-state (capital and countryside residents.)

What is an Ethos

A people and its territory (demos) without a capital polis, central government or political union.

Independent and autonomous

Strong sense of identity = ex. "the Artolians" over "the Phocians" to the east.

United in religious cult, institutions reaching common decisions and unified action ex. in case of attack from outsiders.

General governmental structures of early poleis

1) Basileus abolished or greatly reduced in power.

2) governing functions distributed between several officials (formerly performed by the Basileus only).

3) council of aristocratic elders increased in importance, and that of the assembly of the people decreased.

Decisions which villages to incl. in polis and type of government took app. 2-3 generations.

Why did a newly unified polis have to create a more powerful and intrusive government than the previous?

To be able to compete with the other Poleis.

A more complex system of organisation, social control was necessary with growing population, exploitation of resources, increasing productivity, wealth, expanding trade, and more complicated relationships with neighbouring states.

Especially how to move manpower and resources efficiently for warfare. (these rapid changes had made land scarcer and population grew, poleis fought each other over territory.

Leadership in most poleis

The powerful families divided the authority - administrative, military, religious, and judicial - among themselves, creating magistracies and boards. Position of authority could not be inherited, and tenure was brief.

Generally no hierarchy among the officials, though many had a principal official regarded as chief administrator (archon).

Council of elders

The most powerful in government. Members normally recruited from the highest magistrates and membership was long-term or for life.

Made policies and drafted laws for the laws for the polis.

Preparations for a colony

Mētropolis (mother polis) had to choose a site, obtain divine approval for it (from Oracle), plan the new settlement and choose its oikistēs (founder).

Responsibility of the Oikist

Lead out colonists, layout for city defences, establish sanctuaries for the gods and assigning kleroi to settlers. If successful in his leadership the Oikist would become the guardian hero of the new polis after his death.

Relations between mētropolis and colony

Remain linked to its mētropolis by bonds of kinship and cult (symbolised: fire oikist brought from mētropolis' hearth to kindle the hearth of the new polis.

Priest or priestess from Mētropolis moved to colony to ensure cult practices followed the ancestral customs.

otherwise, the colony was a new and completely independent polis.

Two phases of the colonising movement

1) Began mid-8th century BC directed towards Italy and western mediterranean.

- Pioneers of colonisation in Italy was Euboeans: founded trading settlement in Pithecusae, ideal for exploitation of iron (Island of Elba) and trade with Italic populations of the mainland.

2) Began a century later and concentrated on the north Aegean and the Black Sea.

- land shortage: new colonies outside Greece.

- hellespont + Black Sea lured Greeks with great fishing, rich soil, mineral wealth and trading possibilities.

- no rivals in this area = throughout archaic + classical period the Black Sea was almost entirely ringed with Greek poleis. Many poleis become rich and powerful, among them was Byzantium.

Economic and social divisions

Widening of the existing gulf between the 20% of families at the top and the rest. Not all families could emigrate, and population kept increasing along with access to good land.

Social hierarchy in a polis:

Aristocrats, middlers (c. 50% independent farmers), poor (dependent on the rich to mortgage their kleroi to the rich and paid debt with their crops). Slaves were at the very bottom, but not until 6th century did slaves begin to pour into the poleis with the abolishment of debt bondage within the polis.

Rich protected themselves by only marrying among themselves. Group superiority: "the good" (how agathoi) (the rich) and "the bad" (how kakoi) and "the many" (outside landed nobility.

Social mobility most common in middle group. Upwards graduation possible through economic - therefore social - status. Though downwards most common.

Citizens of a polis - men and women

All free-born members - not equal in citizen rights.

Political affairs were exclusively for men (over18).

Each man's civic responsibilities and rights was determined unequally along economic/social lines

Women had important role: stability of the household (bearing/rearing children), production of clothing, in richer households, management of slaves. Many priests were women.

Resentment leading to social change

Resentment against wealth, power and arrogance of the self-styled agathoi in the 7th century.

Middle group just as resentful as the poor, could not get good land in the village, and shut out of powerful positions and prestige (magistrates), just as likely to be cheated in the law courts as the poor. Could migrate and many did.

6th century: oligarchs hold weak. Emerging of more inclusive government spearheading by middle group and who oligarchs had least control.

Who is Hesiod?

Greek poet from around same time period as Homer, 750-650 BC

Wrote theogony and Works and Days (present c. 700BC about ordinary peoples everyday life.)

Hoplites and phalanx

Beginning 650 BC

Hoplites: heavily armoured foot soldiers.

Weapons: long heavy spear for thrusting and jabbing, and short slashing sword for close-in fighting).

Protection: helmet, breastplate and greaves.

Hoplon (shield) most important equipment.

Phalanx: hoplites arranged in tightly packed formation.

Battle tactic

Opposing phalanxes formed, charged at one another and collided, ended when enemy broke rank and fled.

Battles usually lasted about an hour, casualties were low for both winner and loser (c. 15%).

Archaic Age of Tyrants

c. 670-500 BC

Tyrant = dictator/strongman today

Challenge to the oligarchic rule came from within the elite group.

Continual feuding among the major aristocratic factions contributed to emergence of tyrants.

Tyrant needed armed followers, and the hoplites' support would be great aid, support from the people was important. Tyrants attempted to establish dynasties by passing on their rule to their sons, though most tyrannies only lasted 2-3 generations, hereafter they were overthrown. Exiled opponents returned to re-establish oligarchic rule.

Tyranny as a transitional structure that led to democracy

Tyrants often favoured the poor:

- confiscating land from wealthy and redistributing to the poor.

- constructed temples, harbours, fortifications = work for the poor.

- encouraged trade and commence.

Problems with re-established oligarchic rule:

- farmer-hoplites no longer supported leaders they coundn't hold accountable.

- nobles could not refuse middlers inclusion in public decisions or take back the benefits the tyrants had bestowed on the poor.

Cypselus

Tyrant of Corinth. Marginalized (mother married outside the clan) within prominent clan of Bacchiads. During his reign Corinth emerge as the leading commercial center of Greece. (Corinthian black-figure ware was enormously popular, but quickly declined with mass-production and competition.

Monumental sculpture

life-size or larger statues in marble or bronze was an innovation of the archaic period.

Most are kouros (naked young male) or korē (clothed young maiden).

Often used by wealthy as grave monuments or as offerings in a sanctuary of a god/goddess.

Agora

"the gathering place". most construction was in and around this. Agora became the marketplace of the polis, where male citizens did business, gossiped and made political deals.

Council house distinguished agora as the state center.