Lecture 7, 8: Athenian Domina4on
• Delian league: A-er expulsion of Xerxes; Desire to keep Persians from
coming back; Sparta turned inward while Athens took the ini@a@ve to
lead an ongoing alliance which meant raising a fleet to keep the Persians
out of Greece; The fleet took in all the poor who couldn't afford the
panoply for hoplite warfare; Fleet for permanent year-round service;
League headed at Delos
• Late 470s-460s: From alliance to Athenian domina@on
◦ Success of the Delian League became its problem
◦ Delian League successfully deterred Persians
◦ Some poleis decided to withdraw now that it didn't seem
necessary to take part
• To Athenians, this was like treason (turning backs on Greek
freedom and liberty)
◦ If allied states tried to withdraw, Athenians said it was rebellion
that would be put down by force
◦ League now used to put down rebellion among members of the
league
◦ League now an instrument of Athenian domina@on
• The rise of Pericles
◦ General with imperialist bent
◦ 450s: League turns to Empire
• Delian league patrols become more concerned with signing
up new members to the league
• League expanded to over 200 members
• Greek world divided into Peloponnesian league under
Sparta and Athens' Delian league (map)
• Athens was concerned with raising money/dues for the
league
• Athenian imperialism:
◦ 454: Transfer of league treasury from Delos to Athens- phoros
• No longer called dues but phoros (i.e. tribute)
, ◦ Level of tribute was increased and more rebellions broke out
which were put out with increasing severity (like land of rebellious
state would be taken and transferred to Athenians)
◦ Athenians began to interfere in domes@c affairs of allied states
• Delian League had defacto become the Athenian Empire
• Imperial Democracy:
◦ Empire benefi[ed Athenian masses, and so democracy fuelled
imperialism
◦ Empire promoted the power of the masses, and so empire fuelled
democracy
◦ The imperial, democra@c city: public buildings, stelae, theatre,
ceramics
◦ Athens' increasing cultural and poli@cal domina@on
• Li[le differen@a@on in housing
• Wealth and power of democra@c state proclaimed in public
buildings
• Stone blocks filled acropolis (as opposed to nude figures of
ci@zens of archaic period) which were lists of tribute
brought by allies/lists of decrees and laws of the people
▪ Shi- from an acropolis in which there are elite
individuals at the center of civic life and public religion
to monuments to the decisions/decrees of the
Athenian people
▪ Theatre of Dionysus: Home to Athenian inven@ons of
comedy and tragedy that developed in context of
democra@c culture that valued open speech and
cri@cal thought
▪ Athenian po[ery: Dominated exports since late 6th
century; Athenians had innovated red figure style
which allows for more expression
◦ Athens became a center for mari@me trade; Athens became a
cosmopolitan metropolis
• Produced economic prosperity for all classes of Athenians
• Athenians benefi`ng from Empire
◦ Masses ruled in a democracy so, all Athenians, profi@ng from
Empire, ruled state and so, supported Imperialism
• Delian league: A-er expulsion of Xerxes; Desire to keep Persians from
coming back; Sparta turned inward while Athens took the ini@a@ve to
lead an ongoing alliance which meant raising a fleet to keep the Persians
out of Greece; The fleet took in all the poor who couldn't afford the
panoply for hoplite warfare; Fleet for permanent year-round service;
League headed at Delos
• Late 470s-460s: From alliance to Athenian domina@on
◦ Success of the Delian League became its problem
◦ Delian League successfully deterred Persians
◦ Some poleis decided to withdraw now that it didn't seem
necessary to take part
• To Athenians, this was like treason (turning backs on Greek
freedom and liberty)
◦ If allied states tried to withdraw, Athenians said it was rebellion
that would be put down by force
◦ League now used to put down rebellion among members of the
league
◦ League now an instrument of Athenian domina@on
• The rise of Pericles
◦ General with imperialist bent
◦ 450s: League turns to Empire
• Delian league patrols become more concerned with signing
up new members to the league
• League expanded to over 200 members
• Greek world divided into Peloponnesian league under
Sparta and Athens' Delian league (map)
• Athens was concerned with raising money/dues for the
league
• Athenian imperialism:
◦ 454: Transfer of league treasury from Delos to Athens- phoros
• No longer called dues but phoros (i.e. tribute)
, ◦ Level of tribute was increased and more rebellions broke out
which were put out with increasing severity (like land of rebellious
state would be taken and transferred to Athenians)
◦ Athenians began to interfere in domes@c affairs of allied states
• Delian League had defacto become the Athenian Empire
• Imperial Democracy:
◦ Empire benefi[ed Athenian masses, and so democracy fuelled
imperialism
◦ Empire promoted the power of the masses, and so empire fuelled
democracy
◦ The imperial, democra@c city: public buildings, stelae, theatre,
ceramics
◦ Athens' increasing cultural and poli@cal domina@on
• Li[le differen@a@on in housing
• Wealth and power of democra@c state proclaimed in public
buildings
• Stone blocks filled acropolis (as opposed to nude figures of
ci@zens of archaic period) which were lists of tribute
brought by allies/lists of decrees and laws of the people
▪ Shi- from an acropolis in which there are elite
individuals at the center of civic life and public religion
to monuments to the decisions/decrees of the
Athenian people
▪ Theatre of Dionysus: Home to Athenian inven@ons of
comedy and tragedy that developed in context of
democra@c culture that valued open speech and
cri@cal thought
▪ Athenian po[ery: Dominated exports since late 6th
century; Athenians had innovated red figure style
which allows for more expression
◦ Athens became a center for mari@me trade; Athens became a
cosmopolitan metropolis
• Produced economic prosperity for all classes of Athenians
• Athenians benefi`ng from Empire
◦ Masses ruled in a democracy so, all Athenians, profi@ng from
Empire, ruled state and so, supported Imperialism
