4. Archaic Athens

Question 1

What is the time period for Archaic Greece?

Answer 1

800/700-450 BCE

Question 2

What are the 6 biggest changes to happen during Archaic Greece?

Answer 2

1. Growth of the polis
2. Colonization
3. Trade
4. Panhellenic Shrines, festivals, etc
5. Developments in warfare
6. Widening economic inequality

Question 3

How are we able to know more about this time period?

Answer 3

Actual historical evidence with dates and names.
People wrote on papyrus, only a fraction of the writing has survived but some works have been quoted from later times. There were also coinage and other inscriptions that survived.
Some stories were orally told, which could lead to changes in the original story.
There is a growth in skilled workers and temples are now being made out of stone which is made it possible to survive.

Question 4

What lead to the colonizing movement,

Answer 4

City-states need more land

Increasing trade

Question 5

Why were the military systems changing?

Answer 5

Advancements in warfare
Citizen-soldier
*Now facing foreign foes

Question 6

What changes lead to the advancement of the polis system?

Answer 6

Limits of egalitarianism- More powerful and intrusive government
Issues of stratification and inequality
Power of the elite- the elite had the biggest share of the government

Question 7

In the early city-states who had central control?

Answer 7

Central control by large landowners who governed in their own self-interest

Question 8

What is a basileis? Who did they share power with?

Answer 8

The basileis is the king who shared the power with aristocratic families.

Question 9

What is does Oligarchy mean?

Answer 9

The rule of the few- city states ruled by a small group of men

Question 10

What are the early socialization organizations and their meanings? (4 singular +Plural)

Answer 10

Oikos, pl. oikoi (household)
Four phylē, pl. phylai (tribe)
Each divided into a phratry, pl. phratries
(‘brotherhood’)
Genos, pl. gene (clans)

Question 11

Who ruled the clans and what did they have in common?

Answer 11

Dominated by a top oikos (household)
Share a common ancestor; have a single clan
name
Powerful aristocratic families/clans in Athens

Question 12

Who are the Archons (9 magistrates) ,what were their duties and how long was their term?

Answer 12

1. Eponymous archon (chief archon)- Supervised public affairs, presided over council and assembly
2. Polemarch – military commander
3. Archon basileus – oversaw religious rites, homicide trials
4. Thesmothetai (6) No written law code, it was open to interpretation

They had a term of 1 year. The name of the year would often be named after the chief archon

Question 13

Who were the council of Areopagus and what did they do?

Answer 13

Elders/retired archons
Had membership for life
Held power over serving archons
Deliberative body; high court of early Athens

Question 14

What is ekklesia? Where did it occur and what happened there?

Answer 14

Ekklesia means calling forth, it is an assembly of the people at the public of the council (Pnyx) where they elected magistrates, declared war, military strategy
Votes were taken with a show of hands, stones and using broken poetry.

Question 15

When did the colonization movement occur and how did it become possible?

Answer 15

Decline in dominance of Egypt,
Phoenicia, etc.
power vacuum in Mediterranean
 Open for Greek expansion
No other state offered obstacle for Greece

Question 16

How many colonies were they and what was the most active?

Answer 16

Approx. 90 colonies

Miletus - most active in colonization

Question 17

Why did Sparta and Athens have both limited colonization?

Answer 17

Sparta focused inward-Spartans were preoccupied
Athens had extensive territory
already- They didn’t feel pressure because of the land that they had

Question 18

What were the motivations for colonization? (4)

Answer 18

Resolve problems associated with land shortages-Colonies were made to send people off the already preoccupied land.
Increase trade opportunities
Access to more resources
Increase population

Question 19

What would happen once you left your metropolis?

Answer 19

You were not allowed to return

Question 20

What do the terms metropolis and okist mean?

Answer 20

metropolis – mother city

oikist – founder of the colony

Question 21

What are the consequences of colonization?

Answer 21

1. Upsets the balance of power
2. Diversification of economy
3. Renewed foreign contact
   * Colonies may go to war with their mother country, if good relations are kept their is an overall profit gain for both.

Question 22

Who is an Oikists, what did they do and what are their responsibilities?

Answer 22

Typically aristocrat
Founder – leader, organizer, military commander, law giver *Their authority is equal to a king
*responsible for success or failure of colony
Receive oracle at Delphi – gain religious support and authority
Responsible for entire journey (incl. choice of site)
Division of land
Religion
Defence of colony

Question 23

Who are hoi agathoi and hoi kakoi? who did the hoi agathoi claim to have heritage from?

Answer 23

hoi agathoi (“the good men/people”)- aristocrats
hoi kakoi (“the bad men/people”)- all non-aristocrats

Claimed noble heritage from aristocratic warrior-chiefs

*Based purely on birth

Question 24

How did the aristocrats keep their wealth and status? (4 each)

Answer 24

Wealth
Landowners – hereditary control *disproportions for the wealthy and became even richer with increase of tools

Agricultural exploitation-*Exploited labour of poor families, rented land from rich or mortgaged land which were paid with crops or lose land

hoi aristoi (“the best”) vs hoi polloi (“the many”) * 12-20% of the population is wealthy.

Heritage and social exclusivity- *Marriage only between their own group

Status
Excellence in government – sharing in magistracies *Only the elite can hold magistry seats

Warrior culture-*Soldiers had to pay for their own equipment. Battles only fought in large groups

Horse ownership- Had to have the money to afford a horse

Homeric Code (Late Dark Age)- *mimic feels of excellence

Question 25

Who were the common people(men) and why were they in this class?

Answer 25

Citizen-farmers, specialized craftsmen

Limited potential for upward mobility-*more jobs for sailors and merchants. Didn’t see themselves as a class like the elite

Theognis on a good man (ho agathos) vs bad man (ho kakos)

Downward mobility more common- *if someone became wealthy enough they can marry into a wealthy family (ex. dowry)

Small family farmers -Nearly half the population

Small labour force of slaves- * 1 or 2 slaves

Limited ties to urban center- *Rarely went into the city. Only times would be to go to assembly and to vote.

Question 26

Describe the issues with equality and inequality at the polis?

Answer 26

Political equality not socio-economic equality

Growing wealth, but not evenly distributed

Participation in the polis dependent on one’s social and economic condition

*Government is disproportion. Elite is only focusing on the elite and their needs/issues

Question 27

Who is able to vote and what the requirements for voting?

Answer 27

Need to have a stake in society to participate in it
Own land, have $$ for your own panoply (military kit)

Political inclusion dependent on exclusion of others- also includes landless poor
Excludes women
Excludes slaves
Citizens = only 25% of adult male population

Question 28

What does Metics mean? Who are they? What are they required to do(4) and what restrictions did they experience? (3)

Answer 28

Metics = resident aliens
Permanent residents in Greek city- *Comes from Foreign land. 10% of population of Athens

Required to:
Have Athenian sponsor (prostates)
 Register with the polemarch
Pay a tax
Serve in military (metic males)

Restrictions on:
Owning land (require a special grant; must rent a home)
Vote (not allowed to vote)
Marriage (regulations and fines for marriage with a citizen)
**3 year salary if caught living with an Athenian women

Question 29

Why was there growing resentment between the lower class and the aristocrats?(5)

Answer 29

Lower classes struggling- It was seen as a stigma to work for others; equated to slavery.

Best farmland held by aristocratic families

Lack of power for the masses

Limited access to political office

Public assembly had little weight- Elite had a spokesmen with Hesiod.

Question 30

Who is Hesiod? Why is his work different?

Answer 30

A Greek poet who lived from 750-700 BCE.
He wrote works and days which takes the perspective of the citizen-farmer and focuses on rural life in early Archaic period. Hesiod writes in a personal voice which differs from Homer.

Question 31

Who was the citizen-farmer and what makes them different from farmers and aristocrats?

Answer 31

Freeholder farmer - owns their own land, and doesn’t owe anything to aristocrats.
They have a voice in governing

Differ from Aristocrats-
They have qualification, not just entitled to what they want
Collective self-rule
Live with others
Autonomy and interdependence- A man can’t be an island there must be a community

Question 32

What makes a just happy society vs. an unjust society? (2)

Answer 32

Happy, just society
Communal banquet
Sharing; equality

Unjust society
Gluttonous, greedy judges
Dishonest gain - at the expense of others

Question 33

What is Hesiod’s commentary on Archaic Greece?

Answer 33

Calls out elites as bribe swallowing, crooked and that Zeus avenges unjust acts.

Question 34

What is Homeric and Archaic warfare and how did hey differ?

Answer 34

Homeric warfare = aristocratic duels of heroic champions
Fight for individual glory and excellence

Archaic warfare = struggles of packed groups
Concern for collective over individual

Question 35

Define:
Hoplites
Panoply
Phalanx

Answer 35

Hoplites – heavily armoured foot soldiers

Panoply – hoplite military kit of weapons and armor

Phalanx – new group formation- tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily armed infantry standing shoulder to shoulder in files several ranks deep

Question 36

What military roles were there for each citizen class? (3)

Answer 36

Aristocrats = afford horses = cavalry

Citizen-farmers = afford panoply (military kit) = hoplites

Landless poor = can’t afford equipment = light-armed troops, sailors

Question 37

What were the Hoplites equipt with in their panoply?

Answer 37

Panoply (‘all weapons’)
 hoplon shield - very important
 Corinthian helmet- *Greatest impact on manner of fighting. Great technical achievement. Weight makes a limited range of vision and hearing.
Hoplite spear(doru/dory)
Buttend= saurtoer “Lizard Killer”

Required kit but quailty will differ

Question 38

What are some advantages and disadvantages of the Phalanx formation?

Answer 38

Advantages

Rounded
Good for shoving- Deeper phalanx will win (more men supporting those in front
More men and more cohesion than in the Dark Age

Disadvantages

Only covers left so you need to cover the right of the man beside

Question 39

What is thought of the man at the end of the Phalanx formation?

Answer 39

The person at the end would be the leader and would be considered the most brave because their right side would always be unprotected.

Question 40

What was the mission or militarily ethics of the Hoplite ?

Answer 40

It was a requirement to service and was considered a privilage of citizenship. The believed in :

Self-sacrifice for the common good

Win glory for the polis

Community over the individual

Dependence on non-aristocratic forces
Increasing importance of hoplites (citizen-farmers)