Ancient Athens was considered the main city in Attica (Central Greece). Urban settlements were located several kilometers from the sea. They were grouped around a high hill with a citadel towering above it. It was called the Acropolis. The area was extremely picturesque, and the Acropolis was decorated with magnificent buildings.
Ancient Athens on the map of Greece
From tyrants to democracy
The city-state began to gain strength at the end of the 9th century BC. e. In the beginning, Athens was ruled by kings, and then they were replaced by tyrants. Tyranos translated from Greek as ruler. Therefore, no bad meaning was put into this word.
However, over time, city rulers began to oppress and rob the population. It was then that the word “tyrant” began to be understood as a cruel ruler or despot. In this negative meaning it has survived to this day.
At first, the tyrants were tolerated, since they enjoyed the support of the rich and noble Athenians and the Areopagus. Areopagus called the supreme council, which included 9 judges or archons.
Athens Acropolis
In the 7th century BC. e. archon Dragon implemented a whole series of harsh laws. According to them, people were executed for the slightest offense. Stole a bunch of grapes or an onion - death. The Athenians said that Draco wrote his laws in blood and called them draconian.
Property inequality ended with the struggle between aristocrats and commoners in the 6th century BC. e. Unrest and armed clashes began in the city. To stop the bloodshed, they decided to elect an intelligent man as archon so that he could finally restore order.
He turned out to be such a person Solon. He had an excellent reputation and in 594 BC. e. began to carry out reforms. It was on his initiative that the Draco laws and debt slavery were abolished. Laws on freedom of will and inheritance of property were introduced. Craftsmen and traders began to be provided with benefits.
All citizens of Attica, depending on material wealth, were divided into 4 class groups. Each of them was prescribed its own responsibilities and rights. But in this matter, Solon acted as a defender of the aristocracy. He granted the right to hold public office only to wealthy citizens.
The reformer did not encroach on the power of the tyrants. They continued to commit arbitrariness and increasingly antagonized the common people. In 514 BC. e. The tyrant Hipparchus was killed by the conspirators Harmodius and Aristogeiton. These two ancient Greeks went down in history as the first tyrannicides.
In 509 BC. e. A popular uprising broke out in Ancient Athens. As a result of this, royal power was destroyed and democratic rule triumphed. All Athenian citizens, regardless of material wealth, received equal political rights, and the most important state issues began to be decided by general voting.
But the republic that arose on the lands of Ancient Greece remained aristocratic. Noble Athenians began to unite into groups and manipulate the votes of people at public assemblies. The aristocrats bribed and won over the people's leaders, who were called demagogues.
The Rise of Ancient Athens
In the 5th century BC. e. Greek city-states defeated Persia. This contributed not only to general prosperity, but also to the victory of democracy. In Argos, Phocis, and Thebes, the ruling aristocratic groups were overthrown. The inhabitants of these cities began to practice democratic freedoms following the example of Athens.
But greatest prosperity It was Ancient Athens that reached. The port of Piraeus, which they owned, became the main center of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Athenians also stood at the head of a maritime union, which included 200 poleis (cities). The union had its own treasury, and it was managed by the Athenians. All this strengthened the city and raised its authority.
As for domestic political life, it was characterized by the struggle of two parties - aristocratic and democratic. In 462 BC. e. The power of the Areopagus was significantly limited. People's assemblies began to play an increasingly significant political role. They convened 4 times a month. Laws were passed on them, wars were declared, peace was concluded, and public funds were distributed.
Pericles with his wife Aspasia
During this period, such a historical figure stood out as Pericles. He became a recognized Athenian leader, and in 443 BC. e. he was elected strategos (military leader). This man was in power for 15 years. It was under him that secret voting began to be practiced in the people's assembly.
In all sculptures, Pericles is depicted wearing a helmet. There is speculation that his head had some kind of physical defect. But, despite this, the strategist had a diverse education. He strove to make Ancient Athens the center of education for all of Hellas.
This man's wife was Aspasia from Miletus. She was distinguished by her beauty and intelligence, and in her social activities she sought equality for women. Residents of the city compared Pericles with Zeus, and his wife with Hera - the wife of the thunderer. However, the marriage of this couple was not recognized as official, since Aspasia was not an Athenian. True, two sons from this marriage received Athenian citizenship.
Under Pericles, the city flourished and was the most prosperous and powerful among all the cities of Ancient Greece. In 429 BC. e. the strategist died. After this, the gradual decline of the powerful city-state began.
Sunset of Ancient Athens
In 431 BC. e. War began between Sparta and Athens. It lasted 30 years and was carried out extremely cruelly. Other Greek cities also took part in this war. It went down in history as the name of the union led by Sparta.
The Spartans invaded Attica several times and besieged Athens. In response to this, the Athenians attacked Peloponnesian cities from the sea. A sea voyage to Sicily was also organized. A fleet of 134 triremes (warships) took part in it. But this large-scale expedition did not bring success to the Athenians.
Having suffered a number of serious defeats, the Athenian Maritime Union collapsed. A revolution took place in the city itself. As a result of this, the aristocratic first came to power council of four hundred, and then a smaller group seized power thirty tyrants. As for the People's Assembly, its powers were significantly reduced.
The Peloponnesian War was fought on both land and sea
In 404 BC. e. The Athenians capitulated to the Spartans. They were forbidden to have a navy, and stone walls The ports of Piraeus were destroyed. But the long war weakened not only Attica, but also other Greek city states.
And at this time, a new powerful enemy appeared in the north. It was Macedonia, which began to claim hegemony over all of Greece. It reached its greatest power in the middle of the 4th century BC. e. under Philip II. He created well armed army and began to conquer one Greek city after another.
However, the Athenian lands continued to remain cultural and shopping center Hellas. But the city residents understood that the Macedonians would soon reach them. The Athenian orator Demosthenes spoke directly about this. His accusatory speeches were called Philippics, and Philip II himself declared Demosthenes his personal enemy.
The political situation was heating up, and Ancient Athens had no choice but to create a military alliance. It included Thebes, Megara and Corinth. In 338 BC. e. A battle took place near the Boeotian city of Chaeronea between the troops of the military alliance and the army of Philip II. In this battle the allies were defeated.
The winner dictated peace terms to the defeated cities. Since Philip II was a smart man, he formally declared the conquered policies independent, but obliged them to support him in military campaigns. In addition, he placed military garrisons in Attica.
In most of the conquered cities, an aristocracy came to power, currying favor with Macedonia. This ended the classical era, and the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greece began.
During Hellenism, the situation in Athens was constantly changing. The city either achieved independence or again fell under the rule of the Macedonian army. In 146 BC. e. the city found itself under the rule of the Roman Republic as an ally. But freedom was purely formal.
In 88 BC. e. The Athenians supported the anti-Roman movement, which was led by the Pontic king Mithridates VI. But in 86 BC. e. near the city walls there was a Roman army under the command of Lucius Cornelius Sulla. The Romans once captured great city by storm. However, Sulla showed mercy out of respect for the historical past of Ancient Athens: the fictitious freedom of the Athenians was preserved.
In the last quarter of the 1st century BC. e. the city became part of the new Roman province. But only in the 3rd century AD. e. the importance of the once powerful Athens completely disappeared, and the polis fell into complete decline.
Sparta and Athens are two city-states that became the cradle of Western civilization. They had several common features, and throughout history they have fought each other for dominance and power.
Ancient Greece was not a single country; instead, there were independent city-states - “polises”. These states had their own government and army. Sparta and Athens were among the most powerful poleis of ancient Greece. They were also each other's biggest rivals. Both had problems feeding the population because their land was barren. Thus, they conquered neighboring states that had enough food, and in return the conquered land received protection from later invading enemy armies.
Even though Sparta and Athens were geographically close to each other, their ideologies, societies, forms of government, and basic lifestyles were very different. Athens was one of the leading cities of ancient Greece in the first millennium, bringing cultural and philosophical achievements that laid the foundations of the new Western civilization. On the other hand, militaristic Sparta, formed after Dorian's migration from the north, and known for its military strength, became the main enemy of the Persian Empire and the eventual conqueror of Athens. While the militaristic and machismo culture of Sparta was entirely dependent on war, Athens was the source of some of the most remarkable achievements of philosophy, art and science in human history.
Brief comparisons between Sparta and Athens
Origin
The main reason for the difference between the two cultures was origin, as the Spartans were descendants of the Dorian invaders and the Athenians were of Ionian origin.
Form of government
There were two forms of government in Ancient Greece: democracy and oligarchy. Sparta was ruled by two kings and a council of 28 elders. Additionally, a group of 5 members known as Ephri were responsible for raising children and daily life citizens. This form of oligarchic government was elected by Spartan citizens who were over thirty years old. Athens shaped democracy in Ancient Greece. It was a council of 500 members who were elected by the citizens. The council met, voted and passed laws. The Athenian democratic government was elected and governed by the upper class male population. 
Culture and faith
The culture of the two policies was very different. Sparta became a military stronghold, emphasizing only the expansion of its power, while the Athenians grew in infrastructure and culture. The Spartan faith of complete loyalty to the state was the only reason for their existence. The Athenians and Spartans had different ideologies and goals. Athens always sought to conquer as much land as possible, while the Spartans always held their lands unless they were attacked. However, there were some things that existed in Athens and Sparta that had striking similarities, such as the worship of Greek gods and goddesses, and courage and bravery on the battlefield.
Lifestyle
The way of life of Sparta was the opposite of the way of life of Athens. While the Athenians spent considerable time studying literature, art, and music, the Spartans trained to become excellent soldiers. The Spartans were brilliant at war and their warriors were considered among the best in the world. Strict training starting with early childhood, tempered the Spartan soldiers so that they never left the battle in the bloody conflicts that constantly arose between the small poleis of ancient Greece. The citizens of Athens and Sparta had different moral values and were unique in their own ways. Both men and women enjoyed various privileges, both in Sparta and Athens. 
Sparta: In Sparta, it is believed that elders would check a newborn child for deformities, and if the child was considered too weak to become a strong soldier, he would be thrown into a ravine. Otherwise the training was rigorous. At the age of 7, the child was taken from the mother and placed under the control of the army. There they were educated and trained, and then enlisted in the regular army at the age of 20. Even after marriage, the Spartan soldier remained in the army barracks.
At the age of 30, a Spartan received the right to vote and permission to stay at home. Spartan women were independent and enjoyed freedom to the fullest, which was not the case in other policies of Greece. They were also allowed to train and study military science.
Athens: Unlike Sparta, the Athenian way of life was freer, in which men had access to good education and could practice any kind of arts or sciences. However, women had limited rights and were not considered full members of society. Only men were given the title "citizen". Unlike Sparta, men were not forced to join the army, they could do whatever they wanted.
Economy
While the Spartans relied on Agriculture to maintain its economy, Athens became a major trading power in the Mediterranean by the 5th century BC. and, therefore, were significantly richer. The Spartans were simple warriors, and they trained all the time. They relied solely on helots (slaves) to manage their farm and supply them with food supplies.
Military strength
At the front, the famous Spartans had big advantage on land, while Athens was distinguished by its power at sea. Sparta was surrounded by mountains. If attacked, they used these mountains for their defense and relied entirely on their army. Athens was not very strong ground army, their main power was concentrated in the fleet. Athens used walls to defend against other city-states. This type of defense was not observed in Sparta.
While the two great states of ancient Greece had a number of differences, they were also similar in certain ways. Education was compulsory for men. Although in Sparta it was limited to military training, in Athens boys were trained in a range of subjects. The states had strong soldiers and both needed slaves or helots to make their lives easier or work on their farms. Regardless of their differences and similarities, Athens and Sparta were the two strongest superpowers of Ancient Greece.
Ancient Athens was a polis of ancient Greece and one of the important cities ancient world generally. The borders of Ancient Athens included most of today's Attica.
The rise of Western civilization began more than 2,500 years ago in Attica, a small Greek state and, in particular, in ancient Athens.
At the beginning of the 5th century BC. Athens was practically destroyed.
Acropolis, one of the most famous historical monuments in the world in ancient times it was the religious and political center of the city. But 480 B.C. the buildings of the Acropolis were burned to the ground by a 300,000-strong Persian army that invaded the city, under the leadership of the formidable and famous king Xerxes.
The Athenians abandoned the city and the Persians occupied Athens. It seemed that this was the end for Ancient Athens, but over the next 50 years, the city became the cultural capital of the entire Greek world and the cradle of modern Western science and philosophy. The Acropolis was brilliantly rebuilt and by 430 BC. it was decorated with the most beautiful monuments in the world, with the most important Parthenon, the Temple of Virgin Athena.
How did the ancient city of Athens rise from the ashes and become one of the largest cities in ancient times?
Who were the leaders, architects and artists who made the unique history of ancient Athens?
Golden Age of Athens
After a brilliant victory over the Persians and their retreat from Athens, a leader came to power in Ancient Athens and made his city a cultural and military force in the Greek world. The name of the outstanding statesman Pericles, he not only introduced democratic reforms, but also strengthened the army, built some of the most remarkable monuments of all time. Pericles was in power for 30 years, he made a greater contribution to the development of Athenian democracy. The Citadel, which was completely destroyed by the Persians, was restored. The main building was the Parthenon, but other temples were built, which became masterpieces of world art.
Pericles brought the city into the “golden age” and made the name of Athens immortal. This was the century of great artists such as the sculptor Phidias, great philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, famous theater-goers such as Sophocles and Euripides, who laid the foundations of tragedy, comedy and drama.
Pericles died in 429 BC. after the plague, which cost the lives of many inhabitants of Athens. But his achievements remain unsurpassed. Athens at that time was the crown of a dynamic society, and the time of his reign is usually called the “golden age of Pericles.”
Greece is a country with magnificent landscapes. The ancient Greeks believed that gods, goddesses, and other supernatural beings lived in forests, mountains and water. They believed in the absolute power of the gods, who could help or harm them. Religious festivals took place throughout the year, during which people made sacrifices to the gods.
The first people appeared on the territory of Greece at the beginning of the Bronze Age, who migrated from the vast territory of Eurasia. The first Greeks were warlike tribes, they constantly fought with each other in order to occupy richer and more fertile places. The first settlements were mostly primitive rural communities. Between 1500 and 1200 BC. There was a population explosion, which led to high cultural and technological achievements. Palaces and temples rose up everywhere, some of the remains of which we can still see today.
This created a suitable background for legends and myths: the poems of Homer, the myths about the “Argonauts” and the “labors of Hercules”. Some have long been considered legends, like the Trojan War, recorded by Homer. However, in 1870, the German archaeologist Schliemann discovered the ruins of Troy. The city was indeed destroyed by the war, which lasted for a long time.
In areas of Attica, an intense human presence was found during the Neolithic era. Ancient Attica was inhabited by the Ionians, one of the main ancient Greek tribes that settled in southern Greece at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. In Attica, a special Ionic dialect gradually developed, which became the language of literature and art in ancient times. With the arrival of the Dorians, at the end of the 2nd millennium (about 1100 BC), the Ionians defended their borders, Attica was one of the few places in Greece that the Dorians failed to capture.
Modern Athens
The city of Athens lives and prospers to this day. Modern city centered around the Citadel, it includes various ruins from ancient times, proving that this place once reached the pinnacle of its development, influencing the entire European culture.
A city of about 5 million people lives with memories of a world that was lost. In many places we observe different historical periods of Athens, some buildings and buildings still keep the secrets of the ancient Hellenes.
Until now, as in ancient times, the magnificent Acropolis with beautiful temples proudly towers over the city.
- OK. 508 BC e. — Democracy is winning in Athens.
- 461-429 BC e. - the era of Pericles in Athens.
- 447-438 BC e. - construction of the Parthenon.
- 431-404 BC e. - Peloponnesian War.
Ancient Athens was the first of many city-states to call for a unified force to jointly defend against further Persian invasions after the Greco-Persian Wars. For this purpose, a powerful fleet was built here.
In Athens, all male citizens had a say in how the city should be governed. They met every ten days to discuss new laws and vote on decisions. This type of government is called democracy, which means "rule of the people". Women, foreigners and slaves were not allowed to vote.
Athens temples
The Greeks built majestic temples of dazzling white marble. Most temples had triangular roofs and rested on rows of columns. The Greeks used three different orders in the construction of columns: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian.
Athens agora
The Athenian Agora is the central square and market in the center of Athens. It is located at the foot of a hill called the Acropolis. The road leading to the Acropolis is called the “sacred path”. At the top of the hill was the temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, which was called the Parthenon. Religious processions passed through the main gate of the temple.
Men went to the agora to meet friends. Men usually did their shopping at the market. People from all over Greece came to Athens to purchase pottery from the agora. Residents from other cities could change their money at the trapezit. Market jugglers entertained the crowd.
The market in the Athenian agora sold a wide range of goods. The stalls sold wool and linen fabric, clay lamps, flowers, olive oil for lamps, and even slaves. There were shops in the building called “stoya”. They sold gold, spices and silk. Food was also sold in the agora: hot food, meat, fruits and vegetables, honey for preparing sweet dishes, eggs, cheese. During sale, the meat was laid out on a marble slab, which kept it chilled. Material from the site
Greek thinkers wondered about the meaning of human existence. The two most famous philosophers, Socrates and Plato, lived in Athens. Scientists tried to explain the structure of the world. They studied plants, animals, the human body, the Sun and stars. Scientists such as Pythagoras discovered laws that are still used in mathematics today. A Greek named Herodotus wrote the first reliable book of history. It was dedicated to the Greco-Persian wars.
Pictures (photos, drawings)
Pericles
Greek warriors. Painting on a vase
Market (agora) in the center of Athens
The Parthenon in Athens - a typical Greek temple
Politician giving a speech to Athenian citizens
The Greeks used columns of three different orders in the construction: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
Plato
Socrates
Manuscript containing the famous Pythagorean theorem
Herodotus questions veterans of the Greco-Persian wars
“Athens is one of the greatest Greek cities. In people's minds he is associated with all Ancient Greece. In part, this is deserved, because many of the achievements of Hellenic civilization appeared in Athens. The city gave Greece dozens of philosophers, poets, playwrights, orators, historians, and politicians. Athens powerfully attracted the best people of Greece. Even the Roman conquerors paid tribute to the city, sparing rebellious Athens for the sake of the glory of their ancestors.”
Mycenaean and Homeric Greece
The area of Athens has been inhabited since the Neolithic era. By the 15th century BC. e. They attribute the appearance of an Achaean city on this site. There was a citadel and a palace on the Acropolis. But Bronze Age Athens was never a major political center like Mycenae, Tiryns or Pylos.
It is unclear whether the city suffered from the Dorians. The Athenians themselves were always proud of the fact that they were the autochthonous population of this land, and not migrants like other Hellenes. However, the beginning of Homeric Greece was a period of decline economic development Athens. In the 11th century BC. e. The Ionian migration began, many Athenians went overseas and founded new cities on the coast of Asia Minor.
From about 900 BC, Athens became a major center of trade. During the “Dark Ages” and the Archaic era, Athens developed like other Greek states. According to tradition, the state was ruled by kings for a long time. Historical tradition dates the abolition of royal power to 752 BC. e., when the hereditary basileus was replaced by three officials - basileus, polemarch and archon. The first was responsible for the religious sphere, the second was the commander of the army, and the third was in charge of the internal affairs of the state.
Aristotle wrote that at first the positions of three archons were introduced, and later their number was increased to nine. Former archons filled the council of the Areopagus, which was influential in Archaic Athens. Membership in this council was for life. The monarchy in the polis was replaced by an aristocratic republic. In the 9th-8th centuries the population of Attica grew. The burials of that time became richer, and luxury items were found in them. But at the end of the 8th century something happened, and the polis began to decline. There have been theories about an epidemic or drought at this time. The same years include an increase in the number of finds in religious places. Natural disasters could have caused the increase in religiosity of the inhabitants of Attica. Trade declined and the Athenians began to focus more on agriculture.
Synoicism and the annexation of Eleusis
An important process that allowed Athens to become a powerful polis was synoicism. This word was used to describe the union of several communities into one. Athenians managed to create single state, whose territory was comparable to that of neighboring Boeotia, where there were several separate city-states. The ancients attributed synoicism to the legendary king Theseus. According to them, the hero united Attica, which consisted of twelve independent states. Sinoicism did not involve the relocation of the inhabitants of Attica to the city at the foot of the Acropolis. It consisted in the liquidation of all local authorities, the place of which was now occupied by one general advice in Athens.
In the West Attica the policy was located Eleusis. It has existed since Mycenaean times. In the VIII-VII centuries BC. e. Athens fought with Eleusis, and the fight ended with the inclusion of this policy into the Athenian state. Sources close to the events report very sparingly about the war. The legends of the Greeks told of a war where the Athenians were commanded by the legendary king Erechtheus, and the Eleusinians were commanded by king Eumolpus. According to another version, Eleusis was subjugated by Erechtheus’ grandson Ion. During excavations in Attica, the remains of an old border wall between the territories of two policies were found. It is likely that the conflict was not resolved in one battle, but dragged on for many years. In the 7th century BC. e. the city became part of the Athenian polis. After submission, Eleusis retained its governing bodies, which dealt with internal affairs. The nobility of the city, which was associated with the cult of the Mysteries, retained high position in the Athenian state. The Temple of Eleusis was built in Athens, and the festival of the Mysteries henceforth began there. But the mysterial sacraments themselves remained under the control of the Eleusinian clans.
VII-VI centuries BC e.: legislators and tyrants
By the end of the 7th century BC. e. Athens was an aristocratic republic. The inhabitants were divided into four phyla: Heleonts, Egikorei, Argadians and Hopletians. Their eponyms were the sons of the legendary Ion. Each phylum consisted of three trittia. At the head of the philos were the philobasilei, who were elected from among the noblest citizens. By class, the population was divided into three categories - noble eupatrides, geomora farmers and demiurge artisans.
During the Archaic era, in many Greek city-states, ambitious people seized power and became tyrants. In Athens, an aristocrat tried to become a tyrant Quilon. He was a young man from a noble family, the son-in-law of the tyrant Megar Theagenes. In 640 BC. e. Quilon won the Olympic Games. In that era, victory at Olympia gave its owner a status close to sacred. The Delphic oracle gave the young man a prophecy to capture the Acropolis on the day of the greatest holiday in honor of Zeus. Kilon believed that Olympic Games and there is this holiday, and with a group of supporters he captured the Acropolis. The Athenians did not accept the tyrant and, under the leadership of the archons, besieged Cylon and his comrades. After a long siege, the would-be tyrant and his brother fled, and their comrades surrendered.
In 621 BC. e. The famous laws of Draco were adopted in Athens. Almost nothing is known about this man. He did not hold the office of archon when his laws were written down. From the Draco Codex, only the section on murder has survived. The legislator made a distinction between intentional and unintentional murder. The code of laws made it possible for the murderer and the relatives of the murdered to make peace.
About the rest of the laws Drakonta there are only references that speak of the extraordinary severity of the laws. Draco's laws on murder were in effect as early as the 4th century BC. e., but it is assumed that the rest of the vault was canceled. Draco's legislation was not a reform, but a recording of the customary law of the Athenians, which was in force before him.
Draco's legislation did not resolve the contradictions in the polis, and in the first decade of the 6th century BC. e. a new legislator appeared on the scene - Solon. This man came, like all the leaders of that time, from a noble family. In ancient times he had a reputation as a sage. Poems by Solon have been preserved, where he talks about his activities. Among his legislative measures was the division of the Athenians into four groups based on property qualifications. People from different property groups had unequal political rights. Representatives of the first two groups were elected to the position of archon. The poorest citizens, the Fetas, generally only had the right to access to the people's assembly and courts. The legislator also took measures to free the Athenians who fell into debt bondage.
After Solon's reforms, the life of the polis went on as usual - politicians who came from noble families competed for power. One of them was destined to become the ruler of Athens.
Pisistratus born around 600 BC e. in a noble family that traced its origins to the king of Pylos, Nestor. In the 560s BC. e. the future tyrant became famous as a commander: during the war with the Megaras, he captured their fortification of Nisei. After his victory, Peisistratus became one of the three most powerful politicians in Athens. In 560 BC. e. he received a detachment of bodyguards from the people and with their help seized power. He was soon removed from power. Then Pisistratus, having concluded an alliance with Megacles from the Alcmaeonid family, returned. Soon he was again forced to leave Athens.
Ten years later, Pisistratus decided to return power by force. In 546 BC. e. he landed near Marathon with an army of mercenaries and volunteers from several cities of Greece - Thebes, Eretria, Argos, Naxos. The inhabitants of the part of Attica where he landed supported the tyrant and strengthened his army. After this, in one battle, Peisistratus easily defeated the Athenian militia. His soldiers suddenly attacked the Athenians and put them to flight. At the same time, supporters of Pisistratus tried not to shed the blood of their fellow citizens.
The tyrant occupied Athens. The Alcmaeonids were forced to leave the city. Peisistratus quietly ruled the polis for almost twenty years. Ancient writers spoke of him as a humane and fair ruler who cared about both the nobility and the common people.
Pisistratus expanded Athenian possessions in Thrace, conquered Sigea from Mytilene, and captured Delos. The Great Dionysia began to be widely celebrated in Athens. At the end of his life, the tyrant decided to erect a majestic temple in the city dedicated to supreme god. On the outskirts of Athens, work began on the construction of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. But the creation of this temple was completed not under Pisistratus or his sons, but only seven centuries later, when Greece was already a Roman province. By order of the Athenian tyrant, a commission was created that recorded the texts of Homer's poems.
In 527 BC. e. the tyrant died of old age, and his sons received power in Athens. Hippias and Hipparchus ruled in Attica; another son, Hegesistratus, ruled Sigeum, a dependent of Athens, during his father’s lifetime. At first, the Pisistratids ruled in the spirit of their father. The exiled aristocrats were allowed to return to the polis. Cleisthenes from the Alcmaeonid family even held the position of archon. At the court of Pisistratus and his sons lived prominent Greek poets - Anacreon and Simonides of Keos, the Orphic poet Onomacritus. In 514 BC. e. Hipparchus died at the hands of the conspirators Harmodius and Aristogeiton. The murderers acted for personal reasons, but the ideology of democratic Athens made them fighters against tyranny. Later, bronze statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton stood in a place of honor in the city.
Supporters of the conspirators were executed, and Hippias began to rule more harshly. The aristocrats were again forced to leave Athens. Soon after this, the Alcmaeonids attempted to overthrow the tyranny. They occupied the fortress of Lipidria in Attica. But the troops of Hippias managed to drive out the Alcmaeonids and their supporters from there. Aristotle quotes the table poems of the Athenian aristocrats, which glorify the bravery of the Eupatrides who died defending the fortress.
During the years of exile, the Alcmaeonids lived in Delphi. Using their own funds, they rebuilt the temple of Apollo. The priesthood of this city convinced the Spartans to help the exiles. Finally, the army of Lacedaemon under the command of King Cleomenes entered Attica and defeated the supporters of Hippias. The tyrant surrendered, having the opportunity to leave Athens safely.
After the fall of tyranny in the city, aristocratic politicians Isagoras and Cleisthenes fought for power. The latter managed to win over the people of Athens by promising reforms. Having won the political struggle, Cleisthenes carried out a series of reforms.
The purpose of Cleisthenes' reforms was to combat the old clan orders. He created ten phylas instead of the previous four. Fifty representatives of each phylum formed a council of five hundred. The reformer divided the hundred demomes of Attica into trittii. Each trittiya included a deme of the city, coastal and central parts. Three trittia were included in the phylum. The main territorial unit was the dem. Cleisthenes created a college of ten strategists, in whose hands was the military leadership of the polis. IN V-IV centuries BC e. the position of strategist became the most important in Athens.
5th century BC e.: rise and fall
In 507 BC. e. The Athenian embassy visited Persia. U Greeks There had been contacts with the rulers of the Asia Minor monarchies before, so there was nothing unusual about him. But, not knowing Persian customs, the Athenians provided the Persians with “land and water,” which meant formal submission to the empire. During the Ionian Revolt 500-494 BC. e. The Athenians sent a small detachment of ships to help their relatives. The Athenian ships did not take part in the battles and soon returned. But both of these events gave the Persians a reason for war.
In 490 BC. e. The Persian army landed in Attica. The Athenians managed to win thanks to the military genius of their commander Miltiades. Immediately after the victory at Marathon, the commander proposed to punish the Greek islanders who supported the Persians. Miltiades led an expedition against Paros, but was defeated. In the 480s BC. e. The leading role in Athens belonged to a man named Themistocles. He came from the aristocratic family of the Lykomids, which was inferior in nobility and wealth to the families whose representatives set the tone in the politics of that time - the Alcmaeonids, Philaides, Kerikas.
First Themistocles was archon in 493 BC. e.. In this position, he began work on the creation of the harbor of Athens in the deme of Piraeus. Back in town Miltiades pushed Themistocles into the background, but in the 480s BC. e. he regained his former influence. At the suggestion of Themistocles, silver was discovered in 487 BC. e. the veins were used not for distribution to the people, as usual, but for the construction of a fleet. The Athenians managed to equip two hundred combat triremes, and this was the largest fleet in Greece. During the Persian invasion of 480-478 BC. e. Themistocles stood at the head of the Athenian contingent as part of the pan-Greek fleet. He was the second man in the fleet. But it was thanks to the decisions of Themistocles that the Battle of Salamis was won.
During the war, the Athenians evacuated the population of their city. They sent some of the civilians to Troezen in the Peloponnese, and some to the island of Salamis. Empty Athens was occupied by the Persian army and destroyed. After returning to the city, on the initiative of Themistocles, the Athenians built around the city and Piraeus Long walls, which made Athens impregnable.
After victories at Salamis and Plataea, the Athenians continued to fight against Persia. The war was fought outside of Greece: in Thrace, Asia Minor, Cyprus, and Egypt. The final peace between Athens and the Achaemenid Empire was concluded in 449 BC. uh..
During the Greco-Persian Wars, Athens founded the Delian Symmachy. Later it was transformed into Athens Maritime Union. It united more than 200 Greek city states of the Balkans, islands, and Asia Minor. The allies had to pay Athens a tax called foros.
Led Athens after the expulsion of Themistocles around 476 BC. e. stood for several prominent politicians. Aristides, a rival of Themistocles, played a major role in organizing the union. Naval campaigns against the Persians until his death in 450 BC. e. led by Cimon son of Miltiades.
Two decades after 449 BC. e. were the times when Athens was led by a politician Pericles. Under him, work was carried out to rebuild the Acropolis: the hill above the city was decorated with the majestic temples of the Parthenon and Erechtheion. By this time, a democratic form of government had developed in the city, but Pericles wisely knew how to direct the will of the people in the direction they needed.
In 457-446 BC. e. Athens And Sparta fought. Then it was possible to conclude peace on acceptable terms. But in 431 BC. e. the war broke out again. A new conflict that went down in history as Peloponnesian War, lasted until 404 BC. e.. It ended with the complete defeat of Athens and the dissolution of the Athenian Maritime Union. During a meeting of the Spartans and their allies, representatives of Thebes openly demanded the destruction of the city and the sale of its inhabitants into slavery.
School of Hellas: features cultural life Athens
The most important achievements were created in the Classical era artistic culture Athens. Tragedies and comedies were staged at the Great Dionysia, Lenaia and Anthesteria.
The philosopher Plato put theater on a par with courts and the people's assembly among the institutions that ensure a democratic form of government. There was a special fund in the city, Theorikon, from which the poorest Athenians were given money to buy tickets. Speaker Demade called this money the cement of democracy.
It is believed that the distribution of “theater money” was started by Pericles. It is reliably known that they existed during the times Demosthenes. There were no mentions of the theorikon after the subjugation of Athens to Macedonia in 322 BC. e. No. Most likely, it was abolished.
To govern the theorikon they elected executive. In the 350s BC. e. the politician Eubulus, who held this post, passed a law according to which all monetary surpluses replenished the theorikon. This law established death penalty for the proposal to use the money from the entertainment fund for other purposes. After a long struggle, shortly before the Battle of Chaeronea, Demosthenes was able to get this law repealed.
In the 380s BC. e. Plato, a former student of Socrates, created his own philosophical school. The place for it was a grove near Athens, dedicated to the hero Academ. In honor of him, Plato's school received its name - the Academy. The classes included lectures from mentors and conversations. It is unknown how long the training at the Academy took - presumably one to two years. But Aristotle was Plato's listener for about twenty years.
Disciples flocked to Plato from all over the Greek world. Around 370 BC e. Aristotle arrived there from provincial Stagira. After twenty years of living in Athens, he traveled for some time, and in 335 BC. e. founded his own school. It was called the Lyceum after the place where it was founded.
In the summer, Panathenaea was celebrated in the city. Initially they were celebrated for one day, then the celebrations were extended to three. The earliest mentions of Panathenaea date back to the 7th century BC. e.. The Athenians called the founders of the holiday the legendary king Cecrops or the hero Theseus. It was also assumed that Theseus made Panathenaea a holiday common to all Attica.
Initially, the celebration consisted of presenting a new peplos to the goddess. In 566 BC. e. Panathenaea began to be accompanied by sports competitions. From that time on, Panathenaea began to be celebrated annually, and once every four years - Great Panathenaea, accompanied by the offering of peplos and competitions. To organize the holiday, ten aflofets were elected in the People's Assembly, one from each phylum. They held this position for four years. Under Pisistratus, the Great Panathenaea began to include competitions of rhapsodes performing Homer's poems. Later, musicians' competitions were added to them.
Sports competitions included running, pentathlon, fist fighting, and pankration. There were three age categories of participants - boys, young men, adult men. The winners were awarded amphoras with olive oil. The musicians were awarded a gold wreath and a sum of money.
Chariot races were taking place outside the city. The team competition was a dance performance in full armor. During the Great Panathenaic The trireme race was taking place. Each phylum fielded one ship with a crew, and they competed in speed between the harbors of Piraeus and Munichia.
The offering of the peplos was a solemn procession that left the Keramic region at dawn and went to the Acropolis. The robe for Athena was carried on a cart. The peplos itself was woven nine months before the Panathenaia by girls from noble families of the polis. To lead the work, the archon-basil chose two girls aged 7-11 from noble families. A pattern was embroidered on the robe, depicting the exploits of the goddess in the battle with giants.
At the head of the procession at the Panathenaea were girls weaving peplos. Behind them are girls with vessels and incense burners for rituals and soldiers of the Athenian militia. The procession included many Athenians, Metics and citizens of the allied policies. A separate category were canephor girls (“basket bearers”), who carried sacrificial equipment in baskets. To become a canephora, a girl had to come from a good family, be beautiful and have an unblemished reputation. The canefor fathers received honors and rewards from the state. Girls who repeatedly performed this duty (not only at Panathenaia) were awarded honorary decrees and even statues.
Difficulties of the 4th century
The year after the Peloponnesian War became a time of new tyranny for Athens. After peace was concluded, a commission of 30 Athenian citizens became the head of the city. It was declared that they should draw up new laws for Athens. Contemporaries called them the Thirty, but later the Greeks and Romans gave this government a more catchy name - “thirty tyrants.”
At the head of the Thirty was the Athenian Kritias, son of Callescher. He came from a noble family of Codrides. His father was one of the members of the Four Hundred coup that tried to overthrow democracy. Critias himself in his youth was a student of Socrates, was friends with Alcibiades, even his epigram has been preserved, in which he claims that he made a proposal to return the disgraced commander from exile. Later he himself was expelled, lived in Thessaly, where he participated in some troubles.
Critias did not hide his contempt for the bulk of the people and the metics. Under him, the Government of the Thirty established a regime of real terror in the polis: metics were arrested and executed without trial, and their property was appropriated. Only three thousand Athenians were considered full citizens. Critias was known as a fan of the Spartan order, and his actions are seen as an attempt to rebuild Athens in the likeness of Sparta. Three thousand are an analogue of the Spartan Gomoys, the rest of the population of Athens are not full-fledged Perieki.
Theramenes, another outstanding member of the government, criticized the actions of the head of the Thirty. But Critias, during a meeting of the assembly of three thousand, forced his colleague to commit suicide. Feramen courageously took the cup of poison, splashed some of its contents on the ground, as if playing kottab, and drank the rest.
Thrasybulus, another friend of Alcibiades, took refuge in Thebes. From there he left with 70 comrades and occupied the fortress of Phil. It became a center where Athenians began to flock, ready to fight the tyrants. The defenders of Philae repulsed the attack of the Thirty warriors, and then gave them a battle in which Critias died. Three thousand drove out the surviving members of the government and organized a new one, wanting to continue the fight against Thrasybulus. After negotiations, both sides managed to make peace. In 403 BC. e. Democratic government was restored in Athens. The People's Assembly decreed that no one has the right to question another for his actions during the reign of the Thirty and the civil war. An exception was made for surviving members of the government, but even they could justify themselves by giving an account of their actions. Separate trials took place, and the philosopher Socrates became the victim.
In 395 BC. e. Athens, Thebes, Argos and Corinth began war against Sparta. When in 399 BC. e. When the war between Sparta and Persia began, the Athenian strategist Conon, who lived at the court of the ruler of Cyprus, Evagoras, offered his services to the Persians. In 394 BC. e. Conon and the satrap Pharnabazus defeated the Spartans at sea near the island of Cnidus. After this, the Athenian returned to his homeland with Persian gold, with which they restored the fleet and the Long Walls of Piraeus.
At the end of the war, Persia began to support Sparta, and in 386 BC. e. With her participation in Susa, the Greeks concluded a peace treaty. He prohibited inter-policy associations, but transferred the islands of Lemnos, Imbros and Skyros to the authority of Athens.
The next thirty years were for Athens time of maneuvering between Persia, Sparta and Thebes. In 378 BC. e. Athens and Thebes started a war with Sparta. This year it was created Second Athens Maritime League. The decree on its creation declared the non-interference of the Athenians in the internal affairs of the members of the union. In 377-376 BC. e. Athenian mercenaries under the command of the famous strategist Chabrias defended Boeotia from the Spartans. In 371 BC. e. The Thebans defeated the Spartans at Leuctra, and this victory made Boeotian League the strongest state in Greece.
At the same time, Athens resumed its old ways in relation to its allies. There were cases of interference in the internal affairs of cities. In 357 BC. e. The Allied War began. The city of Pallas was opposed by former members of the union - Byzantium, Rhodes, Chios, who were supported by the Carian ruler Mausolus. Athens lost this war, but the Second Athenian Maritime League existed in a truncated form for another two decades.
The allied war coincided with the first conflict between Athens and King Philip II of Macedonia. The struggle was for control of the cities of the Halkidiki peninsula. The confrontation between Athens and Macedonia ended with the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. uh..
The Athenians lost the battle but retained their independence. During the reign of Alexander the Great, the leader of Athens was the politician Lycurgus. Thanks to his financial genius, the policy, without receiving income from foros, was able to increase its income several times. The Athenians accumulated strength - new ships were built (the Athenian fleet was never as large as in these years).
After the death of Alexander, Athens and some other policies decided to give battle to Macedonia. Thus began the Lamian War of 323-322 BC. e.. Under the command of talented strategists Leosthenes and Antiphilus, the Athenians achieved some success, but were ultimately defeated at the Battle of Crannon. At the same time, the Macedonians defeated the Athenian fleet three times, which was no longer revived as a serious military force.
Oligarchic rule was imposed on the city, which was soon overthrown. In 317 BC. e. One of Alexander’s generals, Cassander, imposed his protege on Athens, Demetrius of Phalerus, who ruled the city for ten years.
In 307 BC. e. Athens was liberated by Prince Demetrius, son of Antigonus, and Demetrius of Phalerum fled. The Athenians restored a democratic constitution, destroyed the statue of the deposed ruler, and repealed some of his laws.
For the first time in the history of the polis, they awarded divine honors to the kings, and this marked the beginning of a tradition in the history of Hellenistic Athens. The cult of the savior gods Antigonus and Demetrius was established in the city, and games were held in their honor. The priest was responsible for the cult of the new gods. To the ten phyla, two more were added - Antigonida and Demetrias, which received first place in the list of phyla. The podium where the statues of the eponymous heroes stood was expanded and statues of the kings were placed on it. Other statues of them were erected next to the monument to Harmodius and Aristogeiton.
In subsequent years, the Athenians retreated from Poliorketes and again swore allegiance to him. In 287 BC. e. Athens rebelled and drove the king's garrison out of the city. But Piraeus and some Attica fortresses remained under Macedonian control. For the next 25 years the policy was independent. In 267 BC. e. Athens took the risk of challenging Macedonia in alliance with Sparta and Egypt. The war was unsuccessful, and Athens again became dependent on Macedonia. But in 229 BC. e. The Athenians managed to peacefully, with the help of a sum of money, force the foreign garrisons to leave Athens, Piraeus and other fortresses in Attica.
After regaining independence, the Athenians established a state cult of Demos. His hereditary priests were the descendants of Mikion and Euryclid, through whose efforts in 229 BC. e. freedom was achieved. Statues of citizens who had distinguished themselves before Athens began to be dedicated to the temple built by Demos.
In 224 BC. e. The king of Egypt, Ptolemy III, was awarded divine honors. A state cult was established for him and the position of priest was introduced. The thirteenth phylum of Ptolemais was established. The number of members of the Bule increased to 650. One deme from other phyles was assigned to the fille, and the deme of Berenicidas was also established in honor of Ptolemy's wife. The statue of the king took its place among the statues of the eponymous heroes of the Athenian phyla. A Ptolemaic public holiday was established.
On the eve of the war with Macedonia in 200 BC. e. King Attalus of Pergamum arrived in Athens. The city residents received him with honor. The Athenians established a new phylum, Attalida, in honor of the king, and within it the dem Apollonia, named after Attalus’s wife.
At the end of the 3rd century BC. e. appeared in the Balkans new power- Rome. During the 2nd century BC. e. Athens was an ally of the Roman Republic, which was increasing its influence on the peninsula. In 88 BC. e. Athens risked supporting King Mithridates VI of Pontus in his war with Rome. At first, the Peripatetic philosopher Athenion became the head of the anti-Roman movement in the city. Later he was replaced by another native of Athens, Aristion, a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus. He was sent to the city by Mithridates.
The Pontic commander Archelaus made Piraeus his headquarters. In 87 BC. e. Attica became a battlefield. The Roman general Sulla besieged Athens and Piraeus. Archelaus was a capable commander, and the siege of the port was difficult. By order of the Roman, the groves of the Academy and Lyceum were cut down and siege engines were made from the trees. In March 86 BC. e. Legionnaires captured the city with a night attack. A massacre began in Athens, but Sulla, at the request of exiles and senators from his headquarters, stopped it, declaring that he was sparing the living for the sake of the dead. Aristion and his loyal people defended the Acropolis for some time, but hunger forced him to surrender. The philosopher, his guards, and the magistrates of Athens that year were executed. Archelaus and his army escaped from Piraeus by sea.
Having finished the war, Sulla returned to Athens. There, the honors of the Athenians awaited him: they glorified him as a liberator from the tyranny of Aristion, held the Syllea festival in his honor, and erected a statue of the commander.
During the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, Greece became the battlefield, and its policies supported Pompey. Several Athenian ships strengthened his fleet, and Athenian hoplites joined his army and fought at Pharsalus. After Caesar's victory, the Athenian embassy arrived to ask for his mercy. Julius Caesar forgave the city for the glory of the Athenians' ancestors. The Athenians customarily erected a statue of the Roman, on the pedestal of which they glorified him as a savior and benefactor. A few years later the Athenians were again drawn into civil wars Romans After Caesar's assassination, Athens supported his killers. In October 44 BC. e. Brutus and Cassius sailed to Greece. In its cities, honorary decrees were passed in honor of Caesar's murderers, and the Athenians erected bronze statues of them next to the statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton.
Brutus lived for some time in Athens. He attended lectures by philosophers at the Academy and Lyceum. At the same time, he worked to gather forces and attracted influential Romans who held posts in the Balkans to his side.
After the defeat of Brutus and Cassius, Mark Antony lived in Athens for some time. He tried to win over the residents ancient city and took pleasure in being called "friend of the Athenians." In 39-37 BC. e. Mark Antony lived in Athens with his wife Octavia, whom the townspeople loved very much.
In 32 BC. e., when the war with Octavian began, Antony and Queen Cleopatra visited Athens. Remembering Octavia’s popularity, the ruler of Egypt tried to win over the citizens of the polis with gifts. After the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. e. Augustus occupied the city without a fight. This ended the period of independence of Athens, which was to become part of a province of the Roman Empire. Achaia.