Emergence of the Polis 700s B.C., Government by Aristocracy, and the Archaic Age

Slideshows, Pomeroy Textbook

What was the focal point of a city-state?

The capital city

What is synoecism?

The process of political unification of states

How big were the vast majority of new city-states?

They were small and usually consisted of a single main town and its adjacent plain with a few outlying villages

What was political unification like in small city-states?

Easy, as many families were interrelated and drawing them together was formalising ancient ties of kinship and neighbourliness

How did the political unification of larger city-states work?

It was drawn-out, beginning in the late ninth century B.C. and finishing between 750 and 700 B.C.

What political unification violent in larger city-states?

No, usually not, however evidence of intimidation and force are present in some areas such as Sparta’s absorption of Amyclae

Was synoecism always complete?

No, such as in Argos where several small city-states existed outside

Did all Greeks live in city-states?

No, some lived in otherwise organised systems

Other than the polis, what other form of political organisation was there?

The ethnos, where a demos would not have a capital, central government, or formal political union, but were united in religious cults, and had institutions for decision-making and could take unified action when needed

When did the polis begin to develop?

In the Archaic period

How did Aristotle see the polis?

He saw it as the natural social formation for humans to live in

What is a polis?

A government-unit that is a city, but self-contained like a state or nation with its own army and no government-branch above it

What were the seven most important mainland Greek city-states?

• Argos

• Athens

• Chalcis

• Corinth

• Megara

• Sparta

• Thebes

What was the earliest city-state to reach prominence?

Chalcis in the 800s B.C.

What does synoecism mean in Greek?

Combining the oikoi

Did the city-states of mainland Greece spring up all at once?

Nearly so, perhaps within the same 50 years for most of them

When is a polis “born”?

When it controls the local farming plan (or half the plain) which is essential to keep the city fed

How did citizenship work for countryside villages?

They would become legally part of the dominant city and would be citizens of that city

How was the early city-state governed?

It was governed as an aristocracy

From where does our word aristocracy come?

It comes from ancient Greek aristokratia meaning power to the best people 

How were the aristoi better than others?

They were credited with having noble blood and claimed descent from the heroes of Greek mythology, giving them an innate advantage to rule

How did government in aristokratia work?

Only aristoi could:

• hold seats on the ruling council

• hold executive office such as “treasurer” or “war leader”

• act as courtroom judges

Voting in government and politics was done only by aristoi

What does this diagram represent?

The different socio-economic classes of male citizens (women and slaves omitted) with aristoi at the top (~20% or less of families), middle class in the middle (50% or a bit more of families), and lower class at the bottom (30% or a bit less of families)

What are the origins of Greece’s aristocracy?

They emerged out of the Dark age and developed from what had been the primitive chiefs and their advisors

From where did the wealth of the aristoi come?

Hereditary ownership of broad tracts of land which brought wealth from rents due to land being leased to tenant farmers

How did rents keep aristoi wealthy?

Rents were lucrative with a tenant farmer paying 1/3 of his grain harvest and the landlord had much grain to sell and make a profit

Why was it difficult for tenant farmers to accumulate wealth?

They had to give up 1/3 of grain for rent, another third to support their family, and the last third to plant for next season leaving little or nothing to sell

What was a clan?

A defined group of aristoi blood-relatives → at some cities all aristoi families belonged to a single clan

What was the Greek word for clan?

Genos

What is an example of a clan claiming heroic lineage?

At Mytilene on Lesbos, the ruling Penthilid clan had a supposed ancestor Penthilus who was son of the hero Orestes and was the pioneer on Lesbos

From what hero did most Dorian aristocrats claim descent?

Heracles

Why did Dorian aristocrats claim descent from Heracles?

It justified the Dorian possession of the Peloponnese as being something they took back, as well as supporting the privilege of families to rule

What was endogamy?

Marriage only within a clan, meaning aristoi would typically marry their second cousins or similar

Could commoner’s marry into aristocratic families?

No, aristocrats safeguarded their monopoly through endogamy

How many families were typically in a ruling clan of a city-state?

On the upper-end, around 100 families in a large, prosperous city-state such as the Dorian city of Locri with their ruling “Hundred Houses”

Were all aristocratic families equal?

No, there was a hierarchy with feuding and competition between families in a city-state, especially in the 600s B.C.

What were the hallmarks of aristoi?

Advertisement of land ownership and horses

What were names of some ruling clans?

• Samos → those who share the land

• Chalcis → horse owners

• Eretria → horsemen

What were the three organs of aristocratic rule? (ē)

• The council → boulē

• The executives (or officials)

• The assembly of all citizens: ekklēsia

Where did the real power of early city-states reside? (ē)

The council of elders called the boulē

From where were members of the boulē recruited?

The highest magistrates entering council from terms of office and held council for a long term or for life

What tasks did the boulē assume?

The task of making policies and drafting laws for the polis

What happened as the authority of the boulē increased?

The power of the old assembly of adult male citizens to influence policy was reduced

How were citizens excluded from the assembly?

Property qualifications excluded poorer citizens and the number of assembly meetings were reduced, business brought before the body was reduced, and free discussion of issues was curtailed

Around 700 B.C. were cities ruled by kings?

No, they were now ruled by the council, excepting a couple cities who retained titular kings

How big was the council?

It was around 20-100 men who were representative members of the city’s ruling families

How were council members elected?

They were chosen not by a vote of the people, but instead a vote among the ruling families or by a system of rotation

What kinds of issues was the council responsible for?

Passing laws for the city, making executive decision, infrastructure, taxation, war, and courtroom judging

What was the ekklēsia?

The mass of the city’s citizens, rich as poor, who were called from their homes in the town and countryside to attend an assembly

How did the ekklēsia participate in meetings? (ē)

They congregated to observe but were not allowed to vote or question judgement of the boulē, they were passive