Ancient History Greece

The Greeks had lost their autonomy and independence, something that was precious to them
They were subject not only to another power, but an oriental "barbarian" king
Tyrants had been imposed on them and tyranny was no longer acceptable to the Greeks (they preferred more democratic systems)

Histiaeus and Aristagoras were two of the tyrants appointed by Darius to rule over the Ionian city of Miletus
Together they plotted to capture the rivaling (free) Greek island of Naxos
Their military expedition failed miserably. Histiaeus and Aristagoras were shamed, with their positions as tyrants looking very vulnerable
Sensing his imminent removal as a tyrant, Aristagoras chose to incite the whole of Ionia into rebellion against Darius and the Persians

Reign 521-486 BC

Overthrew Cyrus' son, Cambyses, and established himself as king of Persia
He wished to follow in the footsteps of Cyrus and Cambyses and increase Persia's domains
Europe became an attractive target. He sent expeditions to scout Greece and Italy
In 513 BC he crossed the Bosphorus into Europe, quickly subduing Thrace, north of Greece
He also set up tyrants in the Ionian cities who would rule as puppet kings for Persia

Greek states had been established along the coast of Asia Minor (Ionia) for centuries
The freedom of these Greek states was precarious since they lacked political unity
560 BC - Wealthy kingdom of Lydia under King Croesus subjugated all of Asia Minor apart from Miletus
Croesus was sympathetic to Greek ideas of freedom and individualism, and so respected Greek gods and customs

In the East, Cyrus the Great overthrew the Medians and established the Persian Empire. Over time he slowly expanded westward:

546 BC - Cyrus captured Sardis, the capital of Lydia.
Lydia, the barrier between Greece and Persia had fallen
Worse still, the Ionians had aided Croesus and Lydia against the Persians
Cyrus imposed harsh penalties on the Ionians: heavy tributes as well as obligations to provide troops and ships if called upon

The Athenian government was democratic
Major decisions were taken by the assembly , open only to males above the age of 18
The assembly met regularly to debate issues put forward by a committee, but anyone was allowed to have a say
The assembly couldn't meet everyday so mundane financial matters and the day to day running of the states' affairs were handled by several smaller committees
The most important of these was the council, which was made up of 500 men who were selected at random from male citizens over 30
The council prepared the agenda for the assembly
There was a permanent sub-committee of 50 members of the council who lived in a special building next to the council chamber
Members of the council and committee changed every year, making the process fairer
Although anyone was entitled to speak, meetings were dominated by men of wealth, power and status
Pericles was the most influential. He was rich, well-bred, a good military commander and very persuasive
This meant that he was elected general every year for decades
His proposals were for using the political power and financial resources of Athens to help the poor

Athens was the cultural and intellectual centre of the Greek world in fifth century BC
Most traditional 'Greek' things that come to mind come from Athens, including philosophy, comedy, tragedy, science, mathematics and more
Many flocked to Athens to experience the culture. These immigrants were known as "Metics"
Athens embraced diversity and its connections to the Mediterranean world
Athens became known as a city always looking to innovate and improve itself
Women were second class citizens and the property of their husbands and male relatives
There was incredible inequality, with the small and wealthy elite dominating the social and political life of the city
Slavery was rife, with between a third and a half of all residents being imported slaves
This meant that Athens relied on having a submissive slave population in order to keep the peace

Tuesday, 1 October 2019