Historia · 2019 · 21 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesClassicsHistoryAncient HistoryGreek HistoryPolitical HistoryAncient GreeceAncient Greek SocietyArchaic GreeceAthenian HistoryClassical AntiquityClassical GreeceAncient Greek PoliticsArchaic AthensArchaic Greek WarfareAthenian Military HistoryAthenian SocietyChannelsClassical Greek WarfarePolitical Reforms Of Cleisthenes
The paper argues that Cleisthenes’ military reforms were not improvised. The general view of war in Archaic Athens as a series of skirmishes between small contingents recruited on an almost private basis must be qualified, as there are indications to suggest a greater and more regulated involvement of the polis of Athens in the organisation of collective war. This was not entirely effective since it depended on “private” channels, the aristoi from different districts, who fought each other (stasis). Despite this, they were “institutionalised” as part of the common political and institutional framework. The sources seems to indicate that the existence of “Hoplites” in Peisistratid Athens was more widespread than is usually believed.