O Allies example essay topic

"Pausanias... was sent out from Sparta in command of the Hellenic force. He had with him twenty ships from the Peloponnese; the Athenians joined his force with thirty ships and there were a number more from the other allies". THUCYDIDES "Athenians, who made up their minds to put on Pausanias and to arrange matters generally in a way that would best suit their own interests" THUCYDIDES "For when the Persians had been driven from Greece and the war had been carried to Persian territory, the Athenians made the insufferable behaviour of Pausanias their excuse for depriving the Lakedaemonians of the command". HERODOTUS "Pausanias, and their men were punished with floggings or by being forced to stand all day with an iron anchor on their shoulders".

PLUTARCH " [Aristides] administered to the Ionians the oath by which they swore to have the same enemies and the same friends as the Athenians. It was in confirmation of his oath that they cast the heavy pieces of iron into the sea". ARISTOTLE " [The Athenians'] object to compensate themselves for their losses by ravaging the territory of the king of Persia". THUCYDIDES " [The Greeks'] aims probably included also their determination to protect those Greek states which had already revolted from Persia and to liberate those still under Persian rule... ". J. FINE 2.

Literary sources Aeschylus and Aristophanes tragic and comic poets. Aeschylus gives us some indication of his political sympathies, which tended to veer towards the radicals, while Aristophanes, using subjects from contemporary life, is a valuable source for the social historian. 3. Archaeological sources. Buildings. Coins.

Artefacts. Inscriptions. Inscriptions on stone are the most valuable they include dedications to the gods, list of casualties in war, public accounts, decrees passed by the assembly and most important the Athenian tribute list 4. The Delian League was also known as the Confederacy of Delos and grew out of the Hellenic League, and was lead by Athens. 5.

Reasons why Athens took over Hegemonic (leadership) of the league. THUCYDIDES suggests that Athens became the leader because of the arrogant and harsh behaviour of Pausanias (the Spartan king) towards the Ionians and other recently liberated Greeks. Pausanias had been sent out in charge of al allied fleet in 478 to resume operations against the Persians and to free those Greek states still under Persian control... He "treated his own allies harshly and arrogantly and scattered insults far and wide with his officiousness and absurd pretensions' " PLUTARCH 6. Sparta was content to give up the leadership. They had previously shown their lack of interest in the future of the Aegean and Ionia, when they returned home after Mycale...

Sparta had domestic problems. There was the continuing fear that the helots would revolt, and the need to consolidate her position as the leader within the Peloponnese... Political horizons were bounded by the coasts of the Peloponnese and she was becoming increasingly isolationist and inward looking... PLUTARCH "ceased to send generals to carry on the war, preferring to have their citizens behave with moderation and abide by their traditional customs instead of lording it over the rest of Greece" 7. The aims of the league were to maintain the freedom of the Greeks - to organise a defensive alliance so that in any future attacks upon their territory, the Greeks would be well prepared to resist. The objectives therefore were both offensive and defensive...

8. Aristides was the man who surveyed the various territories and their revenues and then fixed their contributions according to each members worth and ability to pay... He used the system of drawing up a list of assessments not only with fairness and integrity but also with kindness and goodwill. 9.

Delos was selected to be the site of treasury and the meeting place for the allies because it was the centre of Ionian culture and religion based on the cult of Apollo and it was midway between Athens and the coast of Asia Minor, it had a good harbour and it was politically insignificant. 10. At first - the allies were independent states with their own forms of government & - the military activities of the League were against Persian forces to protect the allies But soon - rebellious allied states lost their independence (autonomy) and were controlled by Athens - Athens used League military operations to serve her own interests and build her own imperialistic powers. B. Athen's position or place in the League 1. She was the permanent leader 2.

As hegemon, she had executive powers. Aristides assessed the tribute, ten Athenian officials collected and supervised the contributions, and Cimon was the leader of the fleet 3. She presided over the Synod and could influence policy and strategy 4. She contributed the largest number of ships of men...

Aristotle says that it was Aristides "who swore the oaths to the Ionians that they should have the same enemies and friends, to confirm which they sank lumps of iron in sea" 11. Benefits for allies for being in the League O Trade O Protection O Government O Spoils Disadvantages for the allies for being in the League O Loss of autonomy - the allies could not succeed O Allies were unwilling to travel long distances to the Athenian law courts O Payment or tribute / ships O The enforcement of the currency decree took away the allies' right to mint their own coins O The cleruchies (colonies) that were established by the Athenians were resented by the allies because they felt they had spies in the midst Benefits for Athens O Power O Wealth O Trade O Employment O Cleruchies (colonies) 12. Changing relations with Sparta. Sparta humiliated Athens and Kim on when they sent them away... Athens made alliances with Argos and Thessaly, Sparta's traditional enemies. Megara, a strategically important member of the Peloponnesian League, defected and joined the Athenians.

In 459/8 BC Athens went to war against her old enemy, Aegina. Sparta didn't support her allies at this point, and in 457 Aegina surrendered, losing its navy and becoming a tribute-paying subject of Athens. Athens had a lot of power in the 450's but it got so much that it couldn't control them all. 14. Hornblower maintained that... There was a connection between democracy and the empire which was internal.

The sixth century had left Athens still in many respects an aristocratic state.