1.4.1 Text资料文件与下载

1.4. Athens and the Persian Wars.

1. Democratic Athens. Last time we talked about the wealthy Corinth and the martial Sparta, now we go to Athens. The name Athens came from Athena, patron goddess of Athens. Look who great the Parthenon on the Acropolis

2. Athens located on the central plain of Attica, and is built around a number of hills.

The history of Athens dates back to 1400 BC in the Greek Bronze Age. Acropolis originally was the site of a major Mycenaean fortress. During the Dark Age Athens gradually united the whole Attic region and became the largest city state in Greece. In the Archaic period, Athens was famous for its political reforms. Athens is the birthplace of western democracy.

By the 7th century BC, social unrest and violence between groups and families threatened Athens. In 621BC the Athenians granted a judge Draco to draft a strict new code of law. But he failed because his law was too harsh even minor offence could be punished by death. Today we use “Draconian” to describe something extremely harsh, like draconian punishment, draconian measures. In 594 BC a merchant Solon was given the right to create a new constitution. His reforms laid the foundations for Athenian democracy.

Before Solon, Athens was administered by nine archons. An archon is a chief magistrate. Archons were elected annually by the Areopagus.

3. The Areopagus is a very big rock on a hill in Athens, the meeting place of the council of elders. Thus Areopagus became the name of the council of elders; it was the highest governmental council and judicial court. Its members were the former archons. Solon’s reform weakened the Areopagus and broke the aristocrat’s exclusive control of the power. An aristocrat is someone whose family has a high social rank. Solon divided the society into four classes. The top two classes were the only people eligible to become top officials. The poorest could not hold offices but could attend the Assembly and the law courts. Solon established a council of 400 members drawn from all four classes. Solon gave citizens the right of appeal, and abolished slavery for debtors, a citizen might be poor but he could not become a salve just because he could not pay his debt.

4. Athenian Tyranny

After completing his reform, Solon refused to be a tyrant. He surrendered his authority and left the country. In 545BC, an aristocrat Pisistratus seized power by hiring a mercenary force. Peisistratus and his son Hippias ruled for 35 years. They are tyrants, got power illegally; they are aristocrats but got power from the demos, rather than aristocrats. “Demos” means people in Greek. Hippias was harsh; he drove many his opponents into exile. In 510 BC, by the help of Sparta troops some exiles overthrew Hippias. This brought the end of the Athenian Tyranny. 

Athenian Democracy. In 508 BC, "the father of Athenian democracy" Cleisthenes reformed the Athenian constitution and made Athens a democratic state.

It was a system of direct democracy. All male citizens participated the assembly and voted directly on legislation and executive bills. The number of male citizens could be between 30,000 to 50,000, the total population could be around 250,000 to 300,000. We can say that the Athenian democracy is not the real democracy. United States president Abraham Lincoln once said “the government of the people, by the people, for the people”. People should be all the people. And this is why we say the Athenian democracy is not the real democracy because at that time not everybody is equal. Only 10 % of people have the right to vote, women and slaves were excluded.

Cleisthenes divided the society into 10 tribes, each tribe have 10 people participated the 500 member Council. These members were elected by lot every year. The archons were elected by the Assembly, but were still selected from the upper classes. And the Areopagus kept its power as “Guardian of the Laws”. Cleisthenes also may have introduced ostracism; a vote from more than 6,000 of the citizens would exile a citizen for 10 years.

5. Persian Wars

By the end of the 6 century BC, Persian Empire became the threat of the Greek world. It conquered Mesopotamia, Egypt and the whole Asia Minor. In 500 BC, some Greek cities on the coast of Asia Minor revolted, Athens and Eritrea sent troops to help them. After 5 years, Persian King Darius won and retook these cities. Towns were burned, People were sold as slaves, Boys were castrated to be eunuchs, and girls were sent to the palace.

6. In 490 BC Persians invaded Greece. After quickly destroyed Eritrea they landed at the bay of Marathon. The Athenians defeated the Persians with 10,000 soldiers, only half of the enemy. It showed the Greek military superiority of the hoplite phalanx and the infantry formation. The Persians retreated to their ships and sailed quickly to Athens. They wanted to attack Athens before the victorious troop could come back. The Athenian troops rushed back home in 8 hours for more than 42 kilometers.

7. Another legend says that it was a messenger who runs back all the way home. When he arrived, he to exclaimed “we have won!” after saying this he collapsed and died. In the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. Marathon became an Olympic event

In 480 Persians invaded again, this time Sparta became the leader of the Geek allies. At the Battle of Thermopylae when the Spartan king Leonidas realized they would lose, he sent back most of his troops home. The king and his 300 soldiers fought to death. Today on the battlefield in Thermopylae we still can see a tombstone, on it we can read a few words phrasing the Spartan heroes: Go tell the Spartans, thou who passest by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie.

Finally at Salamis Greek finally defeated the Persians and drove them back home.

8. Key words: Demos, Athenian Democracy, Cleisthenes, Areopagus, Persian Wars, Battle of Thermopylae

9. Questions: What is the relation between gods and human in the Iliad and Odyssey? What are the reasons the Greeks defeated the Persians? Why Cleisthenes was called “the father of Athenian democracy”?