From The Evidence Of Thucydide Essay, Research Paper
The Delian league formed after the Hellenic league decided to split up. When the league started it was essentially a voluntary alliance. However, over time, Athens disregarded the original constitution and totally changed her attitude toward her allies The Hellenic league, consisting of all Greece, had fought together against Persia, with Sparta as the leader. However, after victory against the Persians, the league split into two. The Peloponnesian league, with Sparta as leaders, and the Delian league, with Athens as leader or Hegaemon. This is an important point. From the outset Athens was regarded as the Hegaemon of the Delian league, although all states were to be considered equal. Athens was regarded as leader due to her huge fleet, which was unequaled in the Hellenic world. This safeguarded the league from a further Persian attack. The league started with three main aims in mind. To compensate the members of the league s losses in war by ravaging the territories of Persia. To liberate other Greek states, especially those in Ionia, and also to preserve their liberty. Many of the smaller states joined because of the protection they would receive from Athens.
It was agreed that a counsel, named the Synod, would meet at Delos,(hence Delian – Sacred Island), to discuss the league s issues. Each state in the league had a vote on any issue raised. Also the island of Delos served as a treasury for the league. This treasury was contributed to by all states in what was known as phoros which in Greek means to have a burden . Each state had the choice of contributing either money or ships to the league. As each state joined the league, they had to swear an oath of loyalty in perpetuity. This meant that they could never leave the league. The states agreed to this because they could not imagine a time when they would not need protection from Persia. This swearing, in perpetuity, involved a ceremony of dropping a large lump of iron into the sea. Just as the iron could never be found again, the state involved could never leave the league. This oath proved to be an important issue for Athens and the rest of the states, as Athens seemed deliberately to tightened her grip on the league.
Some of the first changes occurred in the test cases where some states decided to try and leave the league. Naxos was the first, in 469bc. The Athenians knew that they could not allow anyone to leave the league, so they besieged Naxos until they agreed to re-enter the league. This was not a major change as Athens was only enforcing the constitution. The second case was Thasos, four years later, in 465bc. This differed from the first test because trade and gold mines in Thasos caused the dispute, which was well beyond the league s concern. Thasos were also besieged and brought back into the league. As a punishment Thasos lost the right of having a choice whether to contribute ships or money to the league. It was made a Subject State. This meant that it had to pay tribute. This was a significant change to the league s constitution, because Athens punished Thasos for reasons outside the league s concern. The original constitution itself stated that the aims were to compensate themselves for losses, liberate other Greek states and preserve the members liberty. The hegaemon (Athens) would therefore only be allowed to intervene if one of the above was involved, and as it was a dispute outside the league over something not referred to in the constitution, Athens was not supposed to do anything.
Another change we can see gradually developing, is enforced military service. There is evidence from inscriptions regarding this matter. It is in the form of a list of Athenian war dead from the fighting in 464bc. One man from Madytos who died in Cardia. Casualties at Eion, Casualties at Thasos There is even better evidence in Thucydides concerning the Egyptian campaign. Thus the expedition of Athens was ended . Athens claimed that their use of allies in the wars in Egypt was justified by the constitution of the league because Egypt was rebelling against Persia. However, in reality, the war in Egypt was too far away to concern the league, and Athens was breaking the constitution by imposing military service on the league. Thucydides also tells us the allies were involved in the Athenian defeat at the battle of Tanagra. The Spartans defeated them and the soldiers were therefore fighting against states other than Persia. This enforced military service is quite an important change as it shows that the Athenians were forcing their allies to fight in battles outside the league s aims. In 454bc we witness what is essentially the league s biggest change in the treatment of her allies, Athens totally changed the original constitution of the league. After defeating Persia at the battle of the Eurymadon, Athens decided to move the treasury from Delos to Athens. The Synod never met again because Athens made all decisions. Athens took complete control over the league s funds. The league had now become the Athenian Empire. This was a major turning point in Athens treatment of her allies and the original constitution of the league was now completely disregarded. Having created her empire, Athens started to tighten her control to make sure she could keep it. The first thing she did was to make her allies swear a new oath of loyalty. We can see this from the following inscriptions. I will perform my duties as councilor to the best of my ability and faithfully to the people of Eurythrae and of Athens and her allies. I will not revolt from the people of Athens, nor will I permit others to do so. Athens also started to set up democratic governments in most of the allied states. These were based on her own system. Councillors were selected by lot and could be prosecuted for not taking up office if elected. An inscription reads, I shall neither desert nor disrupt the democracy of Colophon. This favour of the democratic system is because Athens believed oligarchic governments caused revolts among the allies. In general, the democratic governments would not cause Athens any problems. Another measure introduced by Athens was the setting up of garrisons in states that had rebelled. The garrison was meant to discourage any other rebellions and also to help protect the inspectors ( Episkopoi), sent to these states by Athens. Also Athens forced her allies to change to a common coinage and weights system. If they refused, they would be excluded from trade. Many of the allies felt bitter at this change and felt they were losing their identity and just becoming a part of Athens empire. The final change in this period was Athens insistence that all major legal cases be heard in Athens, by her own law courts.
All these methods of tightening control by the Athenians represented a major change in Athens treatment of her allies. She had changed the Delian league into an Empire and now she introduced measures to make sure she could hold onto it.
Athens introduced Cleruchies into strategic parts of the empire. These were settlements of land in the empire, which were settled by lower class Athenian citizens. This caused bitterness among the allies as their best land was taken from them and given to Athenian citizens.
The year 449bc marked another turning point in Athens treatment of her allies. They signed the peace of Callias, which was a peace treaty with Persia. As shown in the original constitution one of the leagues main aims
were to protect them from Persia. As the treaty of Callias effectively removed the threat from Persia many allies considered the league s aims complete and felt they should be allowed to leave. Athens however was not prepared to give up her empire. This is definitely an important point in the treatment of her allies as it showed the entire original purposes of the league were fulfilled. But Athens was going to hold on whether the allies liked it or not. The following year, however, almost no tribute was collected from the allies. This showed the allies were not prepared to continue with the league and pay tribute to Athens now that the league was pointless. Athens was determined to hold the allies to their perpituitous oath and in 447bc the Cleinian decree declared that allies had to continue paying tribute and that tribute ships would be sent out to allied states to collect it. Force would be used to get the tribute if payment was refused. The effectiveness of this decree is shown as the following year, the allies started to pay again! And the year after that, all money owed was paid back. We know this from the tribute lists in Athens, which show what was paid each year.
Pericles, worried at the allies’ desires to leave, decided to tighten up control further in 446bc. He issued the Chalcis decree. This declared that all allies must promise not to revolt, promise to pay tribute and be obedient to Athens. These two decrees, the Cleinian and the Chalcian, clearly show that the original members of the Delian league were now part of the Athenian empire. These changes were put in place to make sure all allies would continue to obey Athens and pay their tribute. The only genuine allies were the ship contributors, like Lesbos and Chios.
The same year Athens, however, made a reduction in the tribute. This was the only positive change in the treatment of the allies. It was a small change and was not much comfort for the allies.
In the year 440bc there were only three genuine allies left, Samos, Chios and Lesbos, all contributing ships. Samos were arguing with Miletus over priene. Miletus appealed to Athens and Athens sided with Miletus.