From the Delian League to the Athenian Empire

First Year Greek Themes

• The threat of the Persians
• How Greek states interact with each other
• How different states exploited and controlled each other
• Sparta's fear of Athenian domination
• Changing military tactics throughout the period
• Causes of conflict between states
• The Role of Individuals
• The sources and their utility during this period

Effects of Athenian Leadership: Aristeides creates the Delian League

"Aristeides advised all the allies, who were holding a general meeting, to choose Delos as their common Treasury, to deposit there all the money they collected, and to impose a levy on all the cities according to their means for the war which they suspected would come from Persia. The total collected as a result was 560 talents. Aristeides was put in charge of the tribute assessment, and he shared out the amount so precisely and fairly that all the cities were well pleased. Since he seemed to have accomplished something impossible, Aristeides got the greatest reputation for justice, and because he was so excessively just he was known as 'Aristeides the Just'" - Diodorus

Effects of Athenian Leadership: Policies of later leaders

"As the men of old praised the age of Kronos [as the Golden Age], so the allies of the Athenians sang the praises of Aristeides' assessment as a stroke of good fortune for Greece, and particularly when not long afterwards tribute was doubled and then tripled. To explain, Aristeides' assessment was 460 talents: Pericles added practically a third to this, for Thucydides says [2.13] that at the beginning of the [Peloponnesian] war 600 talents were coming in to the Athenians from their allies; after Pericles' death, the demagogues increased it little by little until they brought the total to 1,300 talents. They did this not so much because of the length and fortunes of war, but because they enticed the people into distributions of money, payments for public shows [theorika], and constructing cult statues and temples" - Plutarch

• Shows that the Athenians exploited their allies for money.
• Pericles was more imperialistic and less fair than Aristeides
  

Effects of Athenian Leadership: the policy of Kimon

"The allies continued paying tribute but failed to provide men and ships according to their assessment, and were already refusing to go on campaign and did not man ships or send men, on the grounds that there was no need for warfare and that they wanted to live quietly and farm, since the barbarians had been removed and were not causing trouble. When Kimon was General he accepted money from those who were not willing to campaign, and empty ships, and he let them be enticed by leisure and spend their time on their own affairs, turning themselves from warriors into money-makers and farmers not fit for war through luxury and folly. As a result of their own shyness of warfare, the allies became accustomed to fearing and flattering the men who were maintained and trained, and were always sailing and handling arms; they failed to realise that they were turning themselves into subjects and slaves" - Plutarch

• When allies would revolt, such as Samos, the Athenians would tear down their walls and take hostages - this is how they would control their allies. However, the above shows that the allies made themselves subservient to the empire. Either Kimon was very sneaky and tricked the allies, or it was just the allies' fault for not maintaining the ability to fight
  

Athenian Control over Allies: Chalkis Decree c. 440s BC

"The Khalkidians are to swear an oath on the following terms: 'I will not revolt from the people of Athens by any means or device whatsoever, neither in word nor in deed, nor will I obey anyone who does revolt, and if anyone revolts, I will denounce him to the Athenians, and I will pay to the Athenians whatever tribute I persuade them to agree, and I will be the best and fairest ally I am able to be and will help and defend the Athenian people in the event of anyone wronging the Athenian people, and I will obey the Athenian people.' All the Khalkidians of military age and above are to swear. If anyone does not swear, he is to be deprived of his civic rights and his property is to be confiscated and a tithe of it dedicated to Olympian Zeus. The People as soon as possible should choose 5 men to go to Khalkis to exact the oaths. And on the matter of hostages, they should reply to the Khalkidians that for the moment the Athenians have decided to leave matters as decreed [so] But whenever they decide, they will deliberate and draw up an agreement [Or exchange] on conditions which seem suitable for the Athenians and the Khalkidians. The foreigners who live in Khalkis and do not pay taxes to Ahtnes, even if they have been given tax exemption by the Athenian people, should pay taxes in Khalkis along with the rest, just like the other Khalkidians"

• Doesn't apply to other states
• A window into how defected states were treated
• Complete and utter loyalty "neither in word nor deed" - so can't even speak out against Athens without being considered revolting
• Only men of military age made to swear as they'd be the ones who posed the greatest risk
• The punishment for not signing is losing civic rights and confiscation of property (financial control)
• Foreigners who didn't previously pay tax now had to
• Pretty heavy handed
• Thuc - "the strong do what they can, the weak endure what they must"
• Pericles - incredibly imperialist
  

Rise of the Demagogues

"And so, as for this city here, when the working folk came out of their farms, they had no idea that they were being sold off and because they were without raisins and loved their figs, they looked to the chattering politicians for help. These crooks, though, knowing full well that the farmers were poor, weak and in need of bread, sent this goddess (Peace) away with screams as sharp as pitchforks. Then they started attacking our allies - the rich and fat ones, accusing them of being sympathisers of Brasidas. So what do you, fools, do? Just like stupid little angry puppies, you jumped on the poor man and damned near tore him to pieces! So the poor folk, pale from fear, sat about waiting for any little thing anyone would offer their grumbling stomachs. The foreigners saw all this. They saw the wounds as they were being made and, to silence the perpetrators, they stuffed their mouths with gold, thus making them rich whilst the Greeks were left totally abandoned - and you knew nothing about it! The one single guilty party of all this, was your leader, that leather beater, Cleon" - Aristophanes, Peace

• Step further than Pericles
• 422 BC - just after Cleon died at the battle of Amphipolis, Aristophanes' play 'Peace' explains why the demagogues rose to power - in the form of satire though so not entirely factual
• Demagogues punished rich states by claiming that they were Brasidas sympathisers so they could exploit them for money
• 'The foreigners' (other states) saw this and 'stuffed their (demagogues) mouths with gold' in order to protect themselves
• Exploiting for own ends
  

Delian League: Military Power

"Then they had an army of thirteen thousand heavy infantry, besides sixteen thousand more in the garrisons and on home duty at Athens. This was at first the number of men on guard in the event of an invasion: it was composed of the oldest and youngest levies and the resident aliens who had heavy armour. The Phaleric wall ran for four miles, before it joined that round the city; and of this last nearly five had a guard, although part of it was left without one, viz, that between the Long Wall and the Phaleric. Then there were the Long Walls to Piraeus, a distance of some four miles and a half, the outer of which was manned. Lastly, the circumference of Piraeus with Munychia was nearly seven miles and a half; only half of this, however, was guarded. Pericles also showed them that they had twelce hundred horses including mounted archers, with sixteen hundred archers unmounted, and three hundred galleys fit for service! - Thucydides

• 30,000 hoplites in the empire
  

Delian League: Economic Power

"They were not to go out to battle, but to come into the city and guard it, and get ready their fleet, in which their real strength lay. They were also to keep a tight rein on their allies - the strength of Athens being derived from the money brought in by their payments, and success in war depending principally upon conduct and capital. Apart from other sources of income, an average revenue of six hundred talents of silver was drawn from the tribute of the allies; and there were still six thousand talents of coined silver in the Acropolis, out of nine thousand seven hundred that had once been there, from which the money had been taken for the porch of the Acropolis, the other public buildings, and for Potidaea. To this Pericles added the treasures of the other temples. These were by no means inconsiderable, and might fairly be used. Nay, if they were ever absolutely driven to it, they might take even the gold ornaments of Athene herself; for the statue contained forty talents of pure gold and it was all removable. This might be used for self-preservation, and must every penny of it be restored, Such was their financial position - surely a satisfactory one."- Thucydides

• Tight rein on allies
  

The Tribute Lists

• The Tribute lists are inscriptional evidence detailing the phoros (tribute) paid by each state to the Athenian Empire every four years
• The lists are invaluable for showing the dynamic nature of tribute in the Athenian Empire - as well as how much each region paid to Athens
• The most important lessons learned from the lists are:
1. That Tribute was assessed on each individual states' economic strength - for example the island of Thasos was one of the highest paying states despite a low population due to gold mines on the island
2. At the end of the first Peloponnesian War in the 440s BC, and by the end of the Archidamian War in the 420s there are gaps missing in the tribute suggesting the Athenians could not collect tribute those years - showing Athenian economic control coincided with their military control over their allies
3. The tribute corroborates the literary evidence - for example we can see the tribute increasing in the 430s BC under the imperialistic policies of Pericles, as well as in the mid 420s BC when the demagogues seized power after Pericles' death
   

Economic Problems: The Thoudippos Decree

"[As to the tribute, since] it has become less, let [this court] together with the council, hold an assessment during the month of Poseidon (January/February), [just as in the last] term of office, of [all the assessments] proportionately. They shall deal with the matter every day from the beginning of the month [to ensure that] the tribute [is assessed] in Poseidon. [The full Council] is also to deal with the matter [continuously, to ensure that] the assessment happens, provided [that there is no contrary decree of the People - They must not [assess less] tribute for any [city] than the tribute that city [has brought in before now], unless there [seems to be such shortage of resources that] that territory cannot [bring in more]. The Secretary [of the Council is to] write up this on two] stelae and [place one in the] Council Chaamber and one [ on the Acropolis], the Sellers (Poletai) [are to put this out to contract] and the Kolakretai [are to provide the money]

[For the future, notice] about the tribute [is to be given to the] cities [before the] Great [Panathenaia. Whichever prytany] is in office is to introduce [the assessments at the] Panathenaia. [If the prytaneis do not introduce matters] about the [tribute then] to the People [and the Council and the court, or do not deal with it immediately] in their own term of office, [each of the prytaneis is to be fined 100 drachmas sacred to Athena [and 100 drachmas] to the public treasury, and [each of the prytaneis is to face a fine of 1,000 drachmas at their scrutiny]. And if anyone else [proposes a vote on the proposal that the cities not] be assessed at the first prytany [at the Great Panathenaia], let him lose his civil rights and the property [be confiscated and a tenth of it] given to the goddess"

• Assessment held Jan/Feb
• Not allowed to pay less, only more or the same (unless Athens specifically allowed it)
• If the council members took too long or proposed a vote that the cities are not to be assessed at the first prytany, for the former they would be fined 1,200 drachmas (100 to Athena, 100 to the treasury and another 1,000 just because) and for the latter they would lose their civic rights and have their property confiscated
  

This assessment is particularly notable because:

• it was done in a year when reassessment was not due
• of the strength of the language involved
• of the inclusion, at the end of the list, of states that had never previously paid to Athens or which had long ceased paying

Whether the re-assessment also massively increased the tribute demanded from the allies is less clear because little is preserved from the lists from earlier in the war. The way in which the war is cited as creating a need for extra income links this tribute increase with those in Athens who favoured active campaigning against Sparta rather than sitting it out. But a more particular link with Cleon cannot be established as although Thoudippos is a rare name, it is not certain whether or not the Thoudippos who proposed the decree is the same Thoudippos who married Cleon's daughter