Aspects of Greek history, 750-323 BC : a source-based approach

444 Pages·1996·2.779 MB·English

by  Terry Buckley

ASPECTS OF GREEK HISTORY
750–323 BC
Aspects of Greek History follows the course of Greek history from eighth-
century colonization to Alexander the Great’s conquest of Persia. It
consists of a series of well-designed, brief analytical chapters, each
discussing a selected topic or topics, while maintaining a clear structure of
historical continuity.

It includes:
• A critical discussion of the worth and reliability of the main
literary sources: Thucydides, Herodotus, Xenophon, Plutarch,
Diodorus and Aristotle
• Numerous quotations from these and other sources, including
inscriptional and archaeological evidence
• Maps, a glossary of Greek terms and a full bibliography
This textbook thus offers an indispensable collection of material for
Classics students of all levels, as well as for the general reader who
requires a grounding in Greek history. It will be an invaluable aid to note-
taking, essay preparation and examination revision.

Terry Buckley has recently retired from full-time teaching, having held
the post of Head of Classics at Camden School for Girls and Roedean. He
has also been for many years a member of the J.A.C.T. Ancient History
Committee.
ASPECTS
OF
GREEK HISTORY
750–323 BC

A source-based approach

Terry Buckley

London and New York
First published 1996
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.

“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or
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© 1996 Terry Buckley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

ISBN 0-203-13263-7 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-415-09957-9 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-09958-7 (pbk)
To my beloved family
Sue, Sean and Erika
CONTENTS
vii
List of maps
viii
Preface and acknowledgements
X
List of abbreviations
1
1 THE MAIN LITERARY SOURCES
25
2 THE CAUSES OF COLONIZATION IN ARCHAIC GREECE
35
3 THE AGE OF GREEK TYRANNY, c. 650–510
48
4 THE ‘LYCURGAN’ REFORMS AND THE RISE OF SPARTA IN
THE SEVENTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES
65
5 THE REFORMS OF SOLON
80
6 THE TYRANNY OF THE PEISISTRATIDS AT ATHENS
94
7 THE REFORMS OF CLEISTHENES AND THE DEVELOPMENT
OF ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY
108
8 ATHENIAN POLITICS FROM CLEISTHENES TO THE
OUTBREAK OF THE PERSIAN WAR
120
9 THE PERSIAN WAR: GREEK STRATEGY AND THE
LEADERSHIP OF SPARTA IN 480–479
141
10 ATHENS AND THE DELIAN LEAGUE, 478/7–446/5
158
11 ATHENIAN POLITICS, 478–462/1
167
12 SPARTAN FOREIGN POLICY AND PROBLEMS IN THE
PELOPONNESE, 478–446/5
179
13 THE DEMOCRATIC REFORMS OF EPHIALTES AND
PERICLES, 462/1–451/0
187
14 THE INSTITUTIONS OF ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY
203
15 ATHENIAN FOREIGN POLICY IN THE FIRST
PELOPONNESIAN WAR, 462/1–446/5
212
16 THE ATHENIAN EMPIRE: MEANS OF CONTROL AND
BENEFITS
228
17 THE CAUSES OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR
247
18 PERICLES AND THE NATURE OF ATHENIAN POLITICS
260
19 ATHENIAN AND SPARTAN STRATEGY IN THE
ARCHIDAMIAN WAR, 431–421
275
20 ATHENS AND THE WEST, 458–413
291
21 PERSIAN INTERVENTION IN THE IONIAN WAR, 413–404
303
22 THE RISE AND FALL OF THE OLIGARCHIC MOVEMENT IN
ATHENS, 411–410
316
23 SPARTAN FOREIGN POLICY, 404–387/6
329
24 THE ‘HEGEMONY’ OF THEBES, 371–362
347
25 THE RISE OF MACEDON (359–336): DIPLOMACY AND
WARFARE UNDER PHILIP II
365
26 ALEXANDER’S GENERALSHIP AT THE BATTLES OF THE
RIVER GRANICUS (334), ISSUS (333), AND GAUGAMELA (331)
386
Glossary
391
Bibliography
396
Index
MAPS
32
1 Greek colonization, eighth–sixth centuries BC
63
2 The Peloponnese
106
3 Cleisthenes’ tribal reforms
138
4 Persian wars
156
5 The Athenian Empire
270
6 The Peloponnesian War, 431–404 BC
274
7 The Long Walls of Athens
282
8a Sicily
283
8b The siege of Syracuse
344
9 The Peloponnese and central Greece
361
10 Growth of Macedonian power, 359–336 BC
370
11 The battle of the River Granicus
376
12 The battle of Issus
379
13 The battle of Gaugamela
PREFACE AND
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As a teacher of J.A.C.T. Ancient History, Section A topics (i.e. military and political) for
the past twenty years, I have been acutely aware of the need for a textbook which, first,
not only covers an historical period or theme in sufficient depth, but also is structured in
such a way so as to help students to take notes, write essays and revise for the most
commonly-set ‘A’ level topics; second, includes a large amount of source evidence either
in direct quotations or specific source references; finally, encourages students to become
aware of the limitations of the literary evidence – both in particular historical instances
and generally in the main literary authors – and thereby develop their critical faculties for
historical analysis. At present there are three kinds of reading material for ‘A’ level
students: the standard Ancient History textbooks which cover social, economic and
cultural themes, and therefore do not treat political and military topics in sufficient depth
nor supply sufficient primary source material for critical study as required by modern ‘A’
level Ancient History syllabuses; the specialist articles and books which assume a high
degree of in-depth knowledge and, very often, a fluency in Greek and Latin; and source
books which, although quoting in English many of the more inaccessible primary
sources, provide insufficient explanation for the average ‘A’ level student to have a full
and coherent understanding of their relevance to a particular topic. Therefore it has been
the main aim of this textbook to fill this perceived gap in order to meet the examination
needs of current ‘A’ level Ancient History students.
I am also very aware of the continually increasing curricular and pastoral demands that
are being made upon teachers and that, more than ever, the time for preparation of
lessons is being drastically squeezed. Therefore, in addition to a general bibliography at
the end of the book, I have stated at the end of each chapter the specific articles and the
relevant chapters of the books that I found the most useful and informative – hopefully,
this will save valuable time for hard-pressed teachers. Furthermore, this will be an aid to
the more able ‘A’ level students who wish to research a given topic more widely. Finally,
it is also hoped that this book will be of use to ‘A’ level Greek students, when reading a
Greek historian as a set-book, and to the increasing number of ‘A’ level Classical
Civilization students who need to place writers such as Aristophanes in their historical
context.
Finally, my sincerest thanks are owed to a number of people and institutions: first and
foremost, to Dr Paul Cartledge of Clare College, Cambridge, whose constructive
criticism, constant encouragement and friendly support throughout the last two and a half
years have earned my eternal gratitude; to Andrew Wallace-Haddrill, who recommended
me to Routledge when this book was first proposed; to Richard Stoneman and his staff at
Routledge for their unfailing kindness and courtesy; to J.A.C.T. for their kind permission
to use quotations from Lactor 1 The Athenian Empire; to my former ‘A’ level students at
Camden School for Girls and at Roedean whose unstinting enthusiasm for Ancient
History made teaching such a joy and helped me to shape my approach to this book; and
finally, to my long-suffering family who have tolerated the full spectrum of my moods,
ranging from exhilaration to despair, according to how well each chapter was progressing
or not. Writing is a lonely pursuit, and so I look forward to a welcome return to the
companionship, the shared endeavours, the banter and fun of the staffroom and the
classroom.

Terry Buckley