Archaic
History of Greece  | |
|---|---|
| Pre-Hellenic Greece | |
| Prehistory of Greece | |
| -3200 | Cycladic civilization |
| -2700 | Minoan civilization |
| -1550 | Mycenaean civilization |
| Ancient Greece | |
| -1200 | Dark Ages |
| -800 | Archaic |
| -510 | Classical period |
| -323 | Hellenistic |
| -146 | Roman Greece |
| Medieval Greece (C) | |
| 330 | Byzantine Empire |
| 1202 | Fourth Crusade |
| 1453 | Ottoman Greece |
| Modern Greece | |
| 1799 | Republic of the Seven Islands |
| 1822 | Revolutionary War |
| 1832 | Kingdom of Greece |
| 1936 | Plan of August 4 |
| 1941 | Occupation |
| 1946 | Civil War |
| 1967 | Dictatorship of the colonels |
| 1974 | Hellenic Republic |
The Archaic period is between 620 BC. BC and 480 BC. AD.
Summary |
Sources
The classical era of emerging political and social frameworks of the Archaic period, which is only partially known through various sources. Everything first poets, with Homer and the Iliad and the Odyssey , which is our only source on the second millennium. There are also Hesiod , which is newer than Homer, who is said to have put in order the myths and divine personalities with his poems and the work days.
Then we have the writers of the classical era, historians such as Herodotus and Thucydides. Herodotus is the man of the anecdote. He has a desire to present all his knowledge. The main purpose of his work is the story of the Median wars , of wars between Greek cities allied against the Persian Empire. To explain this conflict, it goes back to the Archaic period. Thucydides, meanwhile, wrote in response to the history of Herodotus. He wants to present a story whose facts are verified. The focus of his work is the Peloponnesian War.
Herodotus and Thucydides have different origins. Herodotus was born in Caria , in the early fifth century BC. AD , and has traveled extensively. He spends most of his life in Athens. Thucydides, himself, is an Athenian aristocrat. He is a man who has a particular design, very intellectual, of humanity. For him, humanity comes down to a series of calculations. He sometimes refer to the Archaic period, especially in the first book. The Athenian Constitution , which is attributed to Aristotle , written in the years -330 , begins with a political history of Athens.
We finally archaeological sources, who insist on more breaks than the continuities. They are interested in the rich sites, such as urban sanctuaries and cemeteries, more than the poor sites, such as rural sanctuaries.
It is from these sources may have to take stock of the Archaic period.
Development of the Greek world
The birth of the Greek city
All the Greeks did not live in town. The Greeks living in the north have not integrated the concept of city immediately. On the question of the date of the appearance of the concept of citizenship, there are two trends. First, there are those who think it appears in the archaic period and then, those who favor an appearance during the second millennium, the Mycenaean period , with a sense of continuity with the result.
We have few sources on the birth of the city. The earliest evidence we have is a law dating from the eighth century , found in Crete stating: "That's what determined the city (polis). In the Iliad , it does not mean city, but a world structured by the oikos , headed by an aristocrat. In the Odyssey , we're talking about something that looks like a city. The very word seems to mean the city population and buildings (the city). There is also talk of a gathering place: the Agora. The Odyssey is contemporary with the birth of cities, dating from the eighth century.
What explains this rise? After the "dark ages, there appears a new organization of space with greater prominence given to the gods in the space of the city or around the city. In the eighth century BC. AD , there is a change in the mode of burial with grave jars used. A number of factors have played in the birth of cities. There is first the demographic factor. In the eighth century BC. AD , the relative population would have been multiplied by seven, but nothing proves it. This is especially the seventh century that is marked by a population explosion. From this arises the phenomenon of colonization.
Followed by religious factors. Cults play an important role in the Archaic period. They serve to mark the existence of a community. We have the example of the sanctuary of the Heraion , the most important city of Argos , which is not located in the town but the borders of the territory, close to neighboring cities and competing, as Sparta it is a big rival. It is located eight kilometers from the city of Argos.
The other major theme that appears in the Archaic period is that of founding hero. Cities decide to choose a deity clean, minor for the rest of the Greek world, but they consider their "father." We have the example of the city of Megara , located between Attica and the Peloponnese , which was chosen Alcathoos as founding hero. This has rendered service to the city by killing a wild beast that terrorized the city. In addition, he has defined and peaceful space of the city. In reality, this is not a hero but a founding benefactor.
Finally, there is the military factor. The birth of the Greek city is at the same time as the evolution of military technology. We find in Homer in the Iliad, the traditional form of combat which is a "duel aristocratic." In the Archaic period, there appears a new way to combat that is to contrast two regiments of heavy infantry against one another, which is rather crude at the tactical level. These regiments are the phalanges hoplite. The phalanx was instrumental in the emergence of the city. It has changed social relations. In this configuration, the number is important. Many bands and the greater the chance of winning. He takes with others and agree to waive the glorious aristocratic struggle to blend into the crowd. The purpose of the hoplite is to stay in his line and move forward with others. There is a new discipline and a new ethics. It is necessary that everyone plays the game the shield, the aspis koil , plays an essential role. Each hoplite is equipped with a shield which is supported by the left forearm. Thus, it protects itself, but also protects the right side of his neighbor. The slightest failure can cause the collapse of the phalanx.
This new training prohibits individual behavior and requires a greater number of men involved in combat. She submits to the same law, that of isonomy. This causes the formation of a community.
The phenomenon of city has been gradually implemented.
The initial location of the Greek cities
Originally, this is the world Aegean , which combines sea and mountains. The sea is always nearby. Indeed, no point is more than a hundred miles to the sea Even though the Greeks put up with the presence of the sea, it is completely wrong to say they are a seafaring people: the philosophers of this century speak of it as a perversion of man. The mountain is high and there are few high mountains. The average altitude is 500 meters. Most cities have settled for the present altitude of defensive aspects and the ability to save himself the presence of mosquitoes and with them one on Malaria (a scourge that time).
The plains are rare in the Aegean. The mountain allows terrace cultivation and hunting. Men may live and prosper. Cities are not large in the classical period. They are found in mainland Greece. First in Boeotia , with Thebes , which is a Boeotian League around her. In Euboea , with the cities of Chalcis and Eretria , and in the Peloponnese , with Sparta , Argos and Corinth , the latter having been a major commercial city in the Archaic period.
There are other cities also in the Aegean islands, such as the city of Delos , the island of 14 square kilometers namesake, famous for its sanctuary to Apollo , the cities of Crete island that the classical period tends to put on the sidelines of the Greek world.
Finally, there are all the cities that have settled on the long coast of Asia Minor. Thus, there are the cities of Ionia , with Miletus , which was regarded as a great Greek city. It attracts the envy of Lydians and Persians. Finally, there are the cities of Caria , a region that plays an important role in the fourth century BC. AD
Colonization and Trade
Colonisation is the fact that the eighth and seventh centuries. Called by that the fact that the shape of the city spreads across the eastern and western basin of the Mediterranean (Massilia, the current Marseilles ; Nikaia, the current Nice ). This phenomenon stops at the end of the seventh century.
First, these cities appear in the eastern Mediterranean coast of Libya today, with Cyrene and two offices in Egypt , one of Naucratis being most important. The seventh century, many foundations are held in the Aegean or the Black Sea , as Byzantium , founded in 660. In the West, the Greek cities are mostly found in Sicily , especially Hellenistic, in Italy or South to the far West (Massilia).
Geography has had its role and some cities have been more settled than others. The Sicily was populated by settlers from Chalcis and Corinth. The coasts of the Black Sea were colonized by the city of Miletus which is based near the 75 cities, including that of Thera. We know from the poet Archilochus that colonization did not occur peacefully, but with fighting: Thasians, the people of Thasos , the natives had to fight to win. The site selection is done according to the trade and these cities are often established for trade.
To found a colony, the process is always the same. In a city that can no longer feed its population, we mounted an expedition. Is asked its opinion to the oracle of Delphi and we embark on the road advised, under the command of the person who asked the oracle. Thus, the colony of Cyrene was founded by that of Thera. Herodotus collected the two versions must be complete with an inscription, "The Oath of the founders." It was a very difficult foundation that has succeeded after several attempts to find the way to Africa. Under the direction of the okiste Battus , the people of Thera left "men" and found the women there. The Oath of the founding shows that things are done in pain. They draw lots for starting a settler and a son in any family with more than two male heirs, with the explicit prohibition to return under penalty of stoning. The city of Cyrene became very rich thanks to grain, horses, wool and cattle.
These foundations have several consequences. First, it leads to prosperity through trade. For example, the city of Aegina , which was not founded a colony, became very powerful by trading with the colonies of the West and the Black Sea.
The Greeks have become accustomed to found cities. They believe they have all the space available and use geography to register (it has found traces in Sicily). These foundations are in a hostile environment. This causes a need for solidarity and citizens had to demonstrate cohesion with each other. The secondary effects of colonization, are brought into contact with settlers called barbarian peoples who may be more advanced than them on some points.
Another consequence of colonization, it is the acquisition of the alphabet. In paragraph 58 of Book V, Herodotus reports that the alphabet comes from the Phoenicians and the Greeks have adopted it. The oldest inscription dates from 750 - 700 and is on a drinking cup at Ischia in the Bay of Naples. This entry was immediately used in a secular and not exclusively sacred.
This has several consequences. Are emerging writing poetry, treatises on reflection and the possibility of transcribing the laws. At Athens in 621 - 620 , Draco is transcribing a code of law (criminal law), used later by the Athenians. Finally, the texts can be transmitted from one generation to another.
The final result of the settlement is the acquisition of money, which is not a Greek invention, but an invention of the barbarian king of Lydia, Croesus , who was closely in touch with the Greek cities in the sixth century. He was defeated in 546 by the Persian King Cyrus. Each Greek city was captured this notion to mint its own currency, to mark its existence. In the Archaic period, Greek cities hit currency irregularly according to their needs, such as military, when you have to pay mercenaries. Each city must affix a special sign on the currency it hits, the epicene , which allows it to recognize. Athens is an owl. The notion of money is interesting. It is used as a standard of value. Adopt the euro, is to propose a solution to the crisis of values of the eighth and seventh century. This explains the fortunes of this institution throughout Greek history.
These cities are scarred by conflict. The legacy of the archaic period is the invention of politics.
The invention of politics
It was during the Archaic period were born regimes have constitutions. Previously the Greek world was under the monarchy.
Social problems of the Greek cities
These cities are traversed by serious internal conflicts. This world is in crisis for one simple reason. For the eighth and seventh centuries, there are too many mouths to feed, there are too many men. This is a factor of political problems and civil war.
There is also an agrarian crisis. The land is concentrated in the hands of a few aristocratic families. A portion of the population is in a state of near slavery, to issue debt for example. Both claims arise. It calls for the abolition of debts and the equal sharing of land. But these two claims are ineligible for the aristocratic families who rule the cities. This is known to us by the Constitution of the Athenians: "Before the laws of Draco and Solon dominated the great aristocratic families. "
This meets the concept of isonomy , which consists of political equality.
Legislators
Athens
Athenian legislators are well known. There first Draco , which offers a legal code very hard, hence the term draconian that encloses large fines massive use of the death penalty. Solon is another key legislator. He was archon in 594 - 593. In the fourth century BC. BC, the Athenian orators cite Solon. Later sources (as Demosthenes ) transcribe the poetry attributed to him. His work is considerable. These laws and constitution of values they have long been on wood panels arranged on the Agora. They are still used in classical times.
His laws address the issue of male responsibility in the problems of the city. For Solon , the man controls his destiny. When things go badly, a man is responsible. He accuses the men of wealth and power hungry. Solon's reforms are called Seisachteia, which means "the rejection of the burden." There was no land reform, or elimination of debt because the money does not exist, but the opportunity was given to farmers to reclaim land to the aristocrats. He sees all this in terms of politics. For him, the citizen is fit to participate in power. This power should not be linked to belonging to an aristocratic family.
It offers propertied classes. There are Pentacosiomdimnes. These are the richest, that is to say, the Athenians enjoying an annual income of over 500 measurements. Then there are the Hippeis, whose annual income is between 300 and 500 measurements. Then we find zeugitai, whose annual income is between 200 and 300 measures. Finally, there are Thetis, whose annual property income is below 200 medimni. These are the most despised. This classification has remained in force throughout the classical period. It is understood that for Solon and his successors, only the rich can access the highest offices. Thus, the nine archons Pentacosiomdimnes are at least as well as the treasurers. The election takes place archons by lot from among the applicants. Another important reform is the creation of a board of 400 members (100 by tribes).
There are also a number of judicial innovations. For example, anyone can intervene on behalf of someone we feel wronged. Similarly, one can appeal the decision of a magistrate court and a magistrate popular. One can judge a magistrate with the aristocratic people gathered in the Assembly. Solon enacted a code of law very clear. This legislation has played a significant role, but initially it was a complete failure. Indeed, between 590 and 588 , it was a period of anarchy during which we were unable to name the rulers. Several factions emerge, that of the coast, that of the plain and the mountain, the latter being led by Pisistratus.
Sparta
See Lycurgus
The Tyrants
The tyrant seizes power unconstitutionally and illegally occupies: he is living outside the law. It usually relies on the people, against the old ruling class which it is nevertheless often emerged. Its power is inherently ephemeral. It stops when the tyrant is no longer for the people and when its interests and those of his supporters no longer coincide.
After the reforms of Solon, the Athenian know the regime of tyranny with Pisistratus. He has struggled to impose his authority. It took him three attempts. One in 561 , one in 558 and last in 546. Pisistratus governs Athens between 546 and 528. His son succeeded him until 510. The political history of this period is unknown, but Pisistratus has enjoyed a good reputation through a form of popular government, composed of judges chosen by the tyrant. It takes a number of measures. Thus, it establishes the circuit judges and a tax on agricultural products and alcohol, to provide loans to small farmers. On the religious level, he helped create the Panathenaic. It is the first to show interest in architectural development of the Acropolis and is the first Athenian to try to get their hands on the island of Delos and the sanctuary of Apollo , a sanctuary frequented by all the Ionians.
This tyranny ends abruptly in the year 510. Pisistratus had managed to maintain a balance between his supporters and detractors (between him and the aristocrats). But his two son, Hipparchus and Hippias did not have his negotiating skills. In 514 , two young aristocrats foment a plot to kill the tyrant. But instead of killing him kill his brother Hipparchus. Despite this setback they enter the legend under the name Tyrannoktones ("murderers" tyrant "). In 510 , the Athenians, supported by the Spartans managed to expel the tyrant.
Tyrannies are fundamentally a political solution to the VI century.But in the classical period, tyranny is reversed. They are found in the cities of Ionia . These tyrants govern against the consent of the population. They are appointed by the Persian ruler. Tyranny has not adapted to the evolution of the city. Art It is common to divide the archaic art into three periods: the first conquests of 620-580 and a period of progress from 580 to 525 and finally a period of maturity of the archaism of 525 to 480. Ceramics
Sculpture
Bibliography
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