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The Greek Polis

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Title: The Greek Polis


1
The Greek Polis
GEN 2112 The Characteristics of Western Culture
2
References on Athens
  • A.H.M. Jones, Athenian Democracy
  • Frank Frost, Democracy and the Athenians
  • ??? ?????????
  • ????????????????
  • Donald Kagan, Pericles of Athens and the birth of
    Democracy

3
The Greek Polis
  • polis (s.)
  • poleis (pl.)
  • city-states (Kitto )
  • a self-governing state
  • an independent autonomous political unit
  • a political structure
  • an advanced or a degenerate form of tribalism
  • small
  • exclusiveness (oneness) (wholeness)
  • small

4
The Size of the Greek Polis
  • There were more than 200 poleis in ancient Greece
  • The biggest Sparta 3,300sq.m.
  • Athens 1,000sq.m.
  • Most poleis less than 400sq.m.
  • e.g. Corinth 340 m2
  • Geographically, a polis covered a very small
    area, usually much less than a modern country
  • e.g. Platos Republic
  • Ideal polis 5,000citizens
  • Aristotles Politics
  • Each citizen should be able to know all the
    others by sight

5
The Citizens of a Polis
  • The citizens of a polis felt themselves tightly
    bound together separated from the citizens of
    any other state.
  • Each polis had its own distinctive customs its
    own gods, was an object of intense
    religious-patriotic devotion
  • As a result, a Greek polis could not easily
    expand its territory or admit foreigners to
    citizenship. Its jealous local pride made it
    ready to fight with its neighbors for the
    slightest causes.
  • But, polis was more than a mere region, it was a
    community of citizens enjoyed political rights
    played a role in govt.

6
Participation??
  • Man is a creature (an animal) who lives in
    (belongs to) a polis Aristotles Politics
  • The chief political virtue participation
  • Its everyones duty to participate in the polis
  • ?Greek culture creative
  • all-roundedness

7
The Political Development of Athens
  • polis of Athens Attica (peninsula)
  • 7thc. B.C. aristocrats
  • Solon (594 B.C.)
  • If there was injustice anywhere in the state, it
    directly or indirectly affected everyone, even
    though he went inside his house locked the
    door.
  • Solon rewrote law code judges were chosen by
    lot from among the entire citizenry without
    regard to wealth

8
Clisthenes (508 B.C.)
  • (Until the time of Clisthenes reforms, loyalty to
    clans tribes had remained strong)
  • Clisthenes appealed to the common citizens
  • ?Athens democracy or the rule of the people
  • Clisthenes called it isonomia the system of
    equal rights
  • abolished the ancient clans replacing them
    with 10 new tribes by regions (territorial
    districts)
  • ?members of every class (commercial, industrial,
    rural)
  • evenly divided (distributed) among 10 tribes

9
The Athenian Empire
  • The evolution of democracy at home was intimately
    connected with the increasing imperialism of
    Athens abroad.
  • democracy
  • Athens
  • Imperialism

10
Pericles (495-429 B.C.)
  • (Age of Pericles 461-429 B.C.)
  • dignified
  • well-educated
  • an hypnotized orator
  • a practical statesman (yet idealistic)
  • Pericles saw what a polis might do for their
    citizens and what the citizens might do for
    their polis.
  • Compare with John F. Kennedy
  • Ask not what the country can do for you ask
    what you can do for the country!

11
Thucydides (???)
  • Pericles was persuasive!

12
Pericles, Funeral Oration (Winter, 431 B.C.)
  • Our constitutionIts administration favors the
    majority instead of the few, this is why it is
    called a democracy. If we look to the laws, they
    afford equal justice to all in their private
    disputes our public opinion welcomes honors
    talents in every branch of achievement, on the
    grounds of excellence alone.
  • Pericles introduced state pay for service on
    the Council of 500 (or as )
  • Therefore, even poor citizens could take part in
    public life.

13
Pericles Political Aims
  • to develop an equal balance the individual
    the polis
  • to make duty a delight, service an honor.
  • to recognize benefits to the community as the
    only ground of civic distinction.
  • Pericles far-sighted
  • d. 429 B.C.
  • was afraid of Athenss mistakes than of Spartas
    designs
  •     proved to be well-founded 404B.C.
    SpartagtAthens

14
The Situation After Pericles
  • According to Finley, Pericleshad 4
    characteristics he could see expound what was
    necessary, he was patriotic above money.
  • Athens misfortune the essential cause of her
    ruin was that none of his successors combined all
    his 4 characteristics.
  • Nicias, who was honest but inactive, had the last
    2.
  • Alcibiades, who was able but utterly
    self-interested, only had the first 2.

15
Time Chart
  • Athens
  • 594 B.C. Solon
  • 546 B.C. Cyrus the Great (Persia) conquered Lydia
    (Asia Minor)?499 B.C.
  • Ionian Rebellion
  • Athens 20 ships to aid
  • Ionian?Pericles
  • 508 B.C. Clisthenes
  • 490, 480, 479 B.C. Persian Wars
  • ?Delian League
  • 461-429 B.C. Age of Pericles
  • 447-438 B.C. Parthenon?????
  • 431-404B.C. Peloponnesian War Athens Sparta
  • 429 B.C. d. of Pericles

16
Questions
  • The spirit and characteristics of ancient Greek
    poleis (Athens, Sparta, etc.)
  • Athens democracy and imperialism
  • Compare and contrast Athens and Sparta

17
References on Sparta
  • Forrest, W.G. A History of Sparta
  • Barrow, Robin. Sparta
  • Jones, A.H.M. Sparta
  • Frost, Frank.  Greek Society

18
Sparta
  • Frank Frost, Greek Society.  5th ed., 1997
  • Sparta an Experiment in Elitist Communism, pp.
    44-49.
  • Military obedience paramount virtue tough
    life
  • Thus, producing strong, courageous, highly
    disciplined soldiers
  • (infants were abandoned to die of exposure, if
    they were not qualified) elitist

19
Life in Sparta
  •  At the age of 7, a Spartan boy would be owned by
    the polis, 13 years of military training
    physical, endurance of hardship, and unquestion
    of devotion to the polis.
  • At the age of 20, a soldier/warrior in a barrack
    (for 10 more years)
  • At 30, full-fledged citizen (may go home)

20
Sparta
  • terrible food/meal
  • Now I understand why the Spartan do not fear
    death.
  • No individual existence (body soul) the
    ultimate in self-denial
  • dedicated to the polis (complete loyalty to the
    polis was demanded of every Spartan)
  • Virtue obedience, courage, and participation

21
Sparta
  • The Greeks admired ordered life, and nowhere
    was life more ordered than in Sparta!
  • Spartan slaves (helots) life was hard, because
    they had to
  • Spartan citizens life was hard, too, because
    they chose to
  • Plutarchs story of an old man in the Olympic
    Games
  • All Greeks know what is right, but only the
    Spartans do it. that is courage!

22
Sparta
  • To the Spartans, Honor to win in battles
  • The story of a mother to her son who was a
    soldier going to battle
  • Giving him a shield with it or on it!
  • They asked not how many enemies there were, only
    where they were.

23
Sparta
  • Spartan art silent?
  • Spartan art is creation, and Sparta created
    not things in words (no drama tragedy, comedy,
    fables nor philosophy) or stone (no sculpture)
    BUT men

24
Sparta
  • Sparta is a small community of warriors who have
    little interest in material comfort
  • Sparta has an enormous slave (helots) population
    (1 10)
  • All Spartans are full-time professional soldiers

25
Spartans Good Fighters
  • 480 B.C.  Xerxes, King of Persia, led an army of
    250,000 men seeking revenge for his fathers
    defeat 10 yeas ago (at the battle of Marathon)
  • Xerxes, Which of the Greeks will dare resist
    me? (It seems that even if all the Greeks joined
    together, they would stand no chance against my
    army)
  •  
  • Demaratus answered,   -- the Spartans!

26
Sparta
  • In single combat, the Spartans are as good as
    any soldiers on earth.  Fighting together, they
    are the best in the world.
  • They will fight, .. And do not ask me whether
    they have enough men to fight you.  If only a
    thousand of them march into the battle field,
    then that thousand will fight you. 
  • Xerxes laughed, Are the Spartans free?  (Do you
    really imagine that so few would freely choose to
    fight?)
  • Yes, free but they do have a master the
    law (eunomia), whatever the law demands, they
    do.  And the law always demands the same thing
    never retreat in battle, whatever the odds. 
    Always stand your ground.  Win or die.
    (Herodotus, The Histories of the Persian Wars. 
    7.101)

27
Sparta
  • Common life, food, wealth, even family shared
  • Thus, Frank Frost, Greek Society
  • Sparta elitist communism

28
Plato on Sparta
  • Plato admired Sparta
  • the idea of an equal community in which all
    citizens share things among themselves, and
    cooperate rather than compete with each other
  • the discipline and order of the Spartan system
  • strong sense of loyalty and duty to each other,
    and the life of the community

29
Battle of Thermopolae
  •  In the Battle of Thermopolae,
  • (a narrow pass)
  • less than a thousand Spartans fought against a
    few thousand (250,000) Persians
  • The Spartans chose to die.  They were killed to
    the last men and buried where they fell.  Over
    their graves was written, Passer-by, go and tell
    the Spartans at home that we lie here in
    obedience to the law.
  • Prefer death to dishonor and military glory to
    everything else
  • Weakness
  • Spartans were brought up to understand only one
    way of life, thus, inflexible (to survive)
  • helots (slaves) outnumbered x 10!

30
The Decline of the Polis
  • Definition
  • The political form of polis has disappeared in
    reality in ancient Greek history.
  • Even though polis has not disappeared, the
    characteristics and spirit of the polis have
    disappeared or it was different from (or even
    opposite to) the original ideal, or it has been
    replaced by other ideals/concepts

31
Essence of the Polis
  • participation (in the political/ cultural life
    of the community)
  • e.g. Pericles statesman, administrator, orator,
    general, etc.
  • polis at its best
  • a community of well-rounded me
  • ????
  • (Because life was simple)
  • equilibrium polis individual

32
  • BUT then,
  • Life became complicated
  • Military tactics ?complex
  • ?division of labor
  • (?army ?mercenary)
  • Progress broke the polis
  • Kitto, The Greeks, p. 161
  • (irony progress was a fundamental ingredient of
    the way of life that the polis created.)

33
Factors Leading to the Decline of the Polis
  • Externally
  • The Peloponnesian War (431-404B.C.)
  • between Athens Sparta
  • end of polis as a creative force
  • Politically
  • Wars had exhausted Greece
  • materially spiritually
  • Therefore, confused, wearisome, depressing
  • (e.g. 20th c. Europe WWI, WWII suicidal wars)
  • Internally
  • Groeth of individualism in art, philosophy, in
    life (new ways of thought of life)
  • e.g. sculpture, drama (tragedy), etc.

34
The Rise of Individualism
  • No more Pericles (well-rounded)
  • (Statesmen no longer excel at a number of other
    activities)
  • No longer would people be impressed with the
    well-rounded amateur.
  • ( its quite impossible)

35
  • By 3rd c. B.C.,
  • Generals professionals
  • Actors ..
  • Athlets ..
  •  
  • The 4th c. B.C. philosophers deplored the growing
    professionalism
  • To the philosophers,
  • Professionalism was a symptom of malaise
    decline
  • Because, professionalism by hiring ()
  • And no direct participation of the citizens

36
Loss of faith
  • Sophists rhetoric (art of persuasion)
  • Plato?
  • ?
  • 1.  Teaching people not knowledge of wisdom BUT
    how to take either side of any argument
  • 2.  Accepting money for teaching (intellectual
    prostitute)
  • Yet, sophists rhetoric popular among the rich/
    wealthy
  • ( The Greeks saw the wicked prosper, the good
    perish!)

37
Loss of Faith
  • I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race
    is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
    strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet
    riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to
    men of skill,
  • BUT time chance
  • happenth to them all.
  • Ecclesiates
  • late 3rd c. B.C.

38
Loss of Faith
  • Yet, some historians propound the belief that
    there is no reason to regret the gradual
    disappearance of the independent polis.
  • In an expanding economy a society that was
    becoming sophisticated cosmopolitan, the ideal
    of the polis was a luxury.

39
  • Nevertheless, even in philosophy, there was a
    growing spirit of individualism
  • e.g. Protagoras of Abdera (c. 481-411)
  • Man is the measure of all things
  • (???????)
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