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Sword Arm of the Demos: The Military Contributions of the Athenian Elite

Green, Derek Bryan
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8159-6974
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629603624908373

Abstract Details

2021, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
Traditionally, scholars of Classical Athenian history have assumed that the Athenian demokratia organized itself for war around the principle of egalitarianism. My dissertation, which focuses on the military contributions of the elite, marks a significant departure from this view by arguing that this is decidedly not the case. In fact, I argue that the elite were so dominant in every aspect of war-making that warfare under the demokratia was primarily an elite concern. Not only did wealthy Athenians serve more frequently in the ranks, but they did so in a larger number of capacities. The liturgies of elite citizens funded both the individual triremes and in many cases, entire military expeditions. Athenian armies and fleets were led by the most elite citizens, who also dominated debates over matters of war and peace in the ekklesia. This elite domination did not undermine the sovereignty of the demos as a whole, however, as the demos was able to keep its elite members in line due to strict accountability measures. Significantly, these accountability measures, which were vital to the demokratia, were enforced almost exclusively by the elite. This decidedly inegalitarian approach to warfare has a broader significance when it comes to understanding the very nature of demokratia itself. I argue that, when we consider both the inequalities that we see at work when the Athenians made war with better known inequalities, such as the non-inclusion of women in politics and the widespread use of slave labor, this shows that demokratia was built on different principles than modern democracy and did not share modern concerns about inequality. The broader significance of this realization, I argue, is that future studies of demokratia should be more careful about delineating the differences between demokratia and democracy before hazarding comparisons.
Greg Anderson (Advisor)
Kristina Sessa (Committee Member)
Anthony Kaldellis (Committee Member)
347 p.
Ancient Civilizations; Ancient History; Classical Studies; Economic History; European History; History; Military History; Military Studies; Political Science; World History
Demokratia; Democracy; Athens; Classical Greece; Classical Athens; Democratic Athens; Strategoi; Athenian Generals; Ancient Warfare; Trierarchy; Eisphora; Hoplites; Hippeis; Epibatai; Greek Polis; Democracy at War; Nicias; Alcibiades; Pericles; Athenian Empire; Ancient Finance; Athenian Finance; Athenian Politics; Leitourgia; Liturgies;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Green, D. B. (2021). Sword Arm of the Demos: The Military Contributions of the Athenian Elite [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629603624908373

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Green, Derek. Sword Arm of the Demos: The Military Contributions of the Athenian Elite. 2021. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629603624908373.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Green, Derek. "Sword Arm of the Demos: The Military Contributions of the Athenian Elite." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1629603624908373

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1629603624908373
447
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