Athens

Athens - Located in Attica (a Greek Region)

A center for culture - Mathematics, Sciences, Religion etc.

- Had many colonies and a forceful Navy in its Hey-day


 * Often going through Civil Wars and Wars with foreign enemies Ex: Persia and Sparta

- The Government was run by a Democracy (of land owning males) who ostracized potential tyrants and ran the warfare and economy of Athens

__A Small History Of Internal Athenian Conflict__

- On verge of civil war because of inequality of classes
 * Owning land and trade made people more powerful (compared to others)

- Landowners vs traders

- Commoners in the middle of the conflict
 * Debts occurring from the poor borrowing from the rich

- People become enslaved from not paying and they lost their land (Debt Slavery)

- Landowners get richer and richer

- Draco is the ﬁrst to try to change things He states that to be a citizen you have to own armor

Draco is Harsh - Simple crimes got heavy penalties - 600 BCE


 * Solon** comes in 584 BCE

He cancels all debts and freed all of the slaves who were citizens

Now, All male citizens get a vote

The Enslaved did not get there land back though

Government jobs are reserved for only the rich

Solon leaves after laws are established- problem not solved

3 parties form


 * Men of the coast. Megakles (Traders)**


 * Men of the plains. Lykurgos (Rich Citizens)**


 * Men of the hills. Peisistratos (Poorer Citizens)**

In 561 BCE, Peisistratos faked an assasanation attempt and he gets his own protection Army made up of armed goons

He takes over the Akropolis and takes over for ﬁve years until being overthrown

He comes back and buys an army and takes over Athens - again

He becomes the tyrant of Athens

Ruled until 527 BCE

He died and left his power to his sons Hippias and Hipparchos

Hipparchos killed by a man named Aristogeiton because of complicated Love Triangle

Hippias gets paranoid and becomes a bad leader

People rebel and get the Spartans to help overthrow Hippias

Sparta takes over and puts in a figure head leader for themselves

People rebel again and go to Persia for help

Persia gives help in exchange for service to Persia Greece takes Persia’s help, but do not fully accept persian rule. Then because the Greeks do not except the Persian rule the first Persian war happens with Persia being ruled by Darius. The Greeks win the first Persian war. Then Darius plots revenge and dies. Then comes his son, Xerxes, who plots revenge and puts his army in Greece. The Greeks win but they sacrifice 300 Spartans including King Leonidas.

Kleisthenes the new leader sets up a democracy

He makes 10 tribes according to land distribution and area - He sets up boule who has 500 members. Known as the High council - 50 from each tribe Each serves Two terms of one year - Boule presents to the assembly of the assembly of Athens, which is made up of all all males who are citizens
 * Government Set UP**