Introduction to Greek History:
Archaic Greece to the Persian Wars

Essay Assignment topics

1.     Was over-population the only reason for the Greek colonisation movement?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

You need to discuss several colonies, and will need to be able to refer to the evidence of Herodotos in particular for individual colonies.

Consider the reasons why various colonies were founded.

Was land-hunger caused by over-population the reason why all colonies were founded?

Were any reasons more important than land-hunger?

Was trade, for example, a more important motive for the foundation of colonies?

What other reasons were there for the foundation of Greek colonies?

Consider political motives for the foundation of colonies.

Passages you MUST discuss include Herodotos I.163-167, 168, II.178–79, IV.144, 150–159; Strabo VI.2.2 (for which, see Tutorial 3).

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, Topic 1, including documents on colonisation

Herodotos (for a guide, see Study Resources, Part 2, Section B)

Dillon, M. & Garland, L., Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 1.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 70–82.

Ehrenberg, V. (1973) From Solon to Socrates, ed. 2, pp. 14-20

Fine, J.V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 62–93 (RR)

(b) Austin, M.M. Greece and Egypt in the Archaic Age (Cambridge, 1970), pp. 22-33

Boardman, J. The Greeks Overseas: Their Early Colonies and Trade (London, 1980) (RR)

Braun, T.F.G.R. ‘The Greeks in the Near East’ in J. Boardman, N.G.L. Hammond (eds.) The Expansion of theGreek World, Cambridge Ancient History, III2.3 (Cambridge 1982) pp.1-31 (RR)

Braun, T.F.G.R. ‘The Greeks in Egypt’ in J. Boardman, N.G.L. Hammond (eds.) The Expansion of the Greek World, Cambridge Ancient History, III2.3 (Cambridge, 1982), pp. 32-56 (RR)

Cawkwell, G.L. ‘Early Colonisation’ CQ 42 (1992) 289-303 (RR)

Graham, A.J. ‘Patterns in Early Greek Colonization’ JHS 91 (1971) pp. 35-47 (RR)

Graham, A.J. (1982) ‘The Colonial Expansion of Greece’ in J. Boardman, N.G.L. Hammond (eds.) The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries B.C., Cambridge Ancient History, III2.3 (Cambridge, 1982) pp. 83-162 (RR)

Graham, A.J. ‘The Western Greeks’ in J. Boardman & N.G.L. Hammond (eds.) The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries B.C.: Cambridge Ancient History, III2.3 (Cambridge 1982), pp. 163-195 (RR)

Graham, A.J. Colony and Mother City in Ancient Greece (Chicago, 2nd. ed., 1983) ch. 3 ‘The Role of the Oikist’ pp. 29-39 (RR)

Jeffery, L.H. Archaic Greece: the City-States c.700-500 BC (New York, 1976) pp. 50-59 (RR)

Sealey, R. A History of the Greek City States, pp. 30–33 (RR)

2. To what extent was Polykrates of Samos a successful Greek tyrant? In what ways was his reign similar, or different, to that of other Greek tyrants?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

This essay requires a comparison between Polykrates of Samos and several other tyrants (such as Peisistratos of Athens, the Kypselids of Corinth, Kleisthenes of Sikyon, and others), stressing what the sources, particularly Herodotos and Aristotle, have to say about particular tyrants.

Do not simply give summaries of particular tyrants but compare and contrast their careers.

How did they gain control in their cities?

How did they maintain control?

How did their foreign policies compare with each other?

What activities did they undertake in their cities?

How did their tyrannies come to an end?

Stress the common features of tyrannies.

After considering these factors, decide whether Polykrates was a ‘successful’ tyrant.

You MUST discuss what Herodotos II.182, III.39-48, 54-60, 120-25, 131 writes about Polykrates. 

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, Topics 1 and 2 (including documents on tyranny)

Herodotos (for a guide, see Study Resources, Part 2, Section B)

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 2.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 87–91.

Fine, J.V.A., The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 104-134 (RR)

(b) Andrewes, A. The Greek Tyrants (RR)

Burn, A.R. The Lyric Age of Greece, Part III (RR)

Bury, J.B. and Meiggs, R. A History of Greece, pp. 68-88 (expansion), pp. 101-113 (tyrannies), pp. 127-135 (the Peisistratidai) (RR)

Cawkwell, G.L. ‘Early Greek Tyranny and the People’ CQ 45 (1995) 73–86 (RR)

Drews, R. ‘The First Tyrants in Greece’, Historia 21 (1972) 127–144 (RR)

Dunbabin, T.J. The Western Greeks

Ehrenberg, V. The Greek State, use index (RR)

Forrest, W.G. The Emergence of Greek Democracy, chap. 3, pp. 67-97 (economic expansion), chap. 4, pp. 98-122 (Corinth), ch. 7, pp. 171-189 (the Peisistratidai) (RR)

Glotz, G. The Greek City, chap. 4

Gray, V.J.‘Herodotus and Images of Tyranny: the Tyrants of Corinth’ AJPh 117 (1996) 361–89 (RR)

Griffin, A. Sikyon (Oxford, 1982), pp. 34-59 (Kleisthenes of Sikyon) (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. A History of Greece, pp. 145-152, 179-185 (Peisistratos), 267-271 (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. ‘The Peloponnnese’ in Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd ed., vol. III.3, pp. 321–59, esp. 341–351 (RR)

Kagan, D. (ed.) Problems in Ancient History, vol. 1, pp. 231-262 (RR)

Legon, R.P. Megara. The Political History of a Greek City-State to 336 B.C. (Ithaca, 1981), pp. 59-103 (Theagenes) (RR)

Murray, O. Early Greece, pp. 132-152 (RR)

Salmon, J.B. Wealthy Corinth: A History of the City to 338 BC (Oxford, 1984), pp. 186-230 (the Kypselid tyranny) (RR)

Sealey, R. A History of the Greek States ca. 700–338, pp. 38–65 (RR)

Shipley, G. A History of Samos 800-188 BC (Oxford, 1987), pp. 69-109 (Polykrates) (RR)

Snodgrass, A.M. ‘The Hoplite Reform and History’, JHS 85 (1965) 110-122 (esp. 110-116, 120-122) (RR)

Ure, P. The Origin of Tyranny (Samos: ch. 3, pp. 68-85; Argos: ch 6, pp. 154-183; Corinth: ch. 7, pp. 184-214; others, ch. 9 pp. 257-279) (RR)

White, M.E. ‘Greek Tyranny’, Phoenix 9 (1955) 1-18 (also in Kagan) (RR)

Woodhead, A.G. The Greeks in the West (London, 1962) 

3.             How did the Greeks acquire their slaves and how did they treat them? Could Greek civilisation have survived if slavery had been abolished?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

What were the main sources of Greek slaves?

How were slaves treated?

To what extent did this depend on their value, and the whims of their master, as well as the type of occupation in which they were employed?

In assessing the second question of the essay, consider the range of tasks undertaken by slaves.

Were there any tasks which only slaves performed?

What do we know about the number of slaves in ancient Greece?

Did slave labour replace or complement free labour?

Note that metics were generally free individuals (ex-slaves were also included in the metic category) living in a city other than the one in which they were born: they were not slaves; similarly, if you mention helots, note that they were serfs and not slaves.

Could Greek civilisation have survived if slavery was abolished? In what ways (if any) would Greek civilisation have been different without slaves?

Remember to discuss the evidence of the ancient sources.

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, topic 3, including documents on slavery

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 11.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 235–36 (and see index; several references)

Fine, J.V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 434-441 (RR)

(b) Austin, M.M. and Vidal-Naquet, P. Economic and Social History of Ancient Greece, esp. pp. 11-26, 99-106 (RR)

Burford, A.M. Craftsmen in Greek and Roman Society (938/B953c)

Cartledge, P. Sparta and Lakonia: a Regional History 1300-362 BC (London, 1979), pp. 160-195 (helots and perioikoi)

Ehrenberg, V. The People of Aristophanes, chapter vii (RR)

Finley, M.I. (ed.), Slavery in Classical Antiquity, especially articles by Finley and Westermann (326.938/S631)

Finley, M.I. The Ancient Economy, especially chap. 3, pp. 62-94 (RR)

Finley, M.I. Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology (326.0938/F513A).

Finley, M.I. ‘Was Greek Civilisation Based on Slave Labour?’ Historia 8 (1959) 145-64 (= Economy and Society in Ancient Greece, London, ch. 6, pp. 97-115 (RR)).

Finley, M.I. Economy and Society in Ancient Greece, ch. 7, pp. 116-132 (‘Between slavery and freedom’) (RR)

Gagarin, M. ‘The Torture of Slaves in Athenian Law’, Classical Phlology 91 (1996) 1–18.

Garlan, Y. Slavery in Ancient Greece (Ithaca 1988)

Hughes, K. Slavery [Greek Topics] (326.0938/H893s)

Roberts, J.W. City of Sokrates: An Introduction to Classical Athens (London, 1984) ch. 2, pp. 21-47 (RR)

Vogt, J. Ancient Slavery and the Ideal of Man, ch. 1, pp. 1-25 (RR)

Westermann, W.L. The Slave Systems of Greek and Roman Antiquity

Wiedemann, T.E.J. (ed.), Greek and Roman Slavery (326.0938/G793)

Wiedemann, T.E.J. Slavery [New Surveys in the Classics] (880.5/ G973n/no. 19)

Willetts, R.F. Ancient Crete (939.18/W713a)

Wood, E.M. Peasant-Citizen and Slave: the Foundations of Athenian Democracy (London, 1988), esp. ch. 2 ‘Slavery and the Peasant-Citizen’ pp. 42-80, 187-195 (RR)

4. Is it possible to define the Greek polis (city-state), and to identify its main characteristics? Was the polis the ‘building block’ of Greek civilisation?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

Athens is often studied as if it were typical of Greek history and society as a whole. But was it?

You need to look at a variety of evidence from several Greek city-states, to stress the similarities and differences between city-states in order to build up a picture of what the city-state was like.

This is a wide-ranging question, and Athens will need to be compared with other cities, especially Corinth and Sparta (however, we realise that most of the evidence is from Athens, but do note the material in Dillon & Garland Ancient Greece on cities other than Athens).

What were the main political institutions of Greek cities?

Were social customs and practices the same from city to city?

In what sense was the polis the essential component of Greek civilisation?

What role did the polis play in Greek history?

Could Greek civilisation have existed without the polis?

Remember to discuss the evidence of the ancient sources.

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, Topic 4, including documents on the city-state

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 10.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, see index

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, see index (RR)

Fine, J.V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 51–53; and 429–41 for Athens (RR)

(b) Ehrenberg, V. The Greek State (Oxford, 1960), ch. 2, pp. 28-102 (RR)

Finley, M.I. The Ancient Greeks (London, 1963), pp. 45-88 (RR)

Finley, M.I. The Ancient Economy (London, 1985, ed. 2), ch. 5, ‘Town and Country’, pp. 123-149 (RR)

Freeman, K. Greek City-States (London, 1950)

Humphreys, S.C. Anthropology and the Greeks (London, 1978), ch. 5, ‘Town and Country in Ancient Greece’, pp. 130-135, 294-295 (RR)

Kitto, H.D.F. The Greeks, 2nd ed. (Harmondsworth, 1957), pp. 64-79

Nixon, L. & S. Price, ‘The Size and Resources of Greek Cities’, in Murray, O. & S. Price (eds.), The Greek City: From Homer to Alexander (Oxford, 1990), ch. 6, pp. 137-70 (mainly on Athenian tribute) (RR)

Lewis, D. ‘Public Property in the City’, in Murray, O. & S. Price (eds.) The Greek City: From Homer to Alexander (Oxford, 1990), ch. 10 pp. 245-64 (RR)

Starr, C.G. The Economic and Social Growth of Early Greece (New York, 1977), ch. 5 ‘Cities and Coinage’ pp. 97-117, 226-232 (RR)

Starr, C.G. Individual and Community. The Rise of the Polis 800-500 B.C. (New York, 1986), ch. 6 pp. 87-100, 124-126 (RR)

Wood, E.M. Peasant-Citizen and Slave: the Foundations of Athenian Democracy, (London, 1988), ch. 2 ‘Slavery & the Peasant-Citizen’ pp. 42-80, 187-95 (RR)

Wycherley, R.E. ‘Classical Cities and Sanctuaries’, in Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd ed., vol. V (Cambridge, 1992), ch. 8b pp. 184-205 (RR)

5. ‘To the Greeks, the gods were distant, aloof, and uninterested in human affairs.’ Discuss.

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

Consider the main features of Greek religious practice.

How and in what ways did the Greeks worship their gods?

Some areas to look at would be sacrifices, prayers, dedications and temples.

What did the Greeks expect of their gods in return for worship?

You should look at some individual festivals and cults and try to determine why the worshippers were involved.

Some possible areas to look at would be the cult of Asklepios, the Eleusinian Mysteries, and various state festivals.

Did the Greeks believe that the gods took any interest in mortals as individuals?

Note that this is a question about Greek religious practice, not about Greek mythology.

Remember to discuss the evidence of the ancient sources.

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, topic 5, including documents on religion.

Herodotos (consult index and see the guide in Study Resources Part 2, Section B)

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 117–143, 252–253.

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 12

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, pp. 334–351 (on Greek science and

sophists) (RR)

(b) Burn, A.R. The Lyric Age of Greece, pp. 345-372 (RR)

Burkert, W. Greek Religion (Oxford, 1985), esp. pp. 216-275 (RR)

Burkert, W. ‘Athenian Cults and Festivals’, in D.M. Lewis, J. Boardman, J.K. Davies, M. Ostwald (eds.), The Fifth Century BC, Cambridge Ancient History, vol. 5, ed. 2, Cambridge, 1992, ch. 8 pp. 245-267 (RR)

Cole, S.G. ‘Domesticating Artemis’ in Blundell, S. & Williamson, M. The Sacred and the Feminine in Ancient Greece (London, 1998), pp. 27–43 (RR) (on women worshipping Artemis, goddess of child-birth)

Dodds, E.R. The Greeks and the Irrational (938 D642G)

Garland, R.S.J. ‘Priests and Power in Classical Athens’ in M. Beard and J. North (eds) Pagan Priests: Religion and Power in the Ancient World, (London, 1990), pp. 75–91 (RR).

Gould, J. ‘On Making Sense of Greek Religion’, in Easterling, P.E. and Muir, J.V. Greek Religion and Society (Cambridge, 1985), pp. 1-33 (RR)

Guthrie, W.K.C. The Greeks and their Gods

Mikalson, J. Athenian Popular Religion (Chapel Hill, 1983), ‘Areas of Divine Intervention’ pp. 18-26; ‘The Afterlife’ pp. 74-82; ‘Piety and Impiety’ pp. 91-105 (RR)

Nock, A.D. ‘Religious Attitudes of the Ancient Greeks’, American Philosophical Society 85 (1942) 472-482 (RR)

Parker, R. ‘Spartan Religion’ in A. Powell (ed.) Classical Sparta: Techniques Behind her Success (London, 1989), pp. 142-172 (RR)

Roberts, J.W. City of Sokrates. An Introduction to Classical Athens, London, 1984, pp. 109-147 (RR)

Zaidman, L.B. and Pantel, P.S. Religion in the Ancient Greek City (Cambridge, 1992), ‘Rituals’ pp. 27-45, ‘Religious Personnel’ pp. 46-54; ‘Places of Cult’ pp. 55-62; ‘The Festival System: the Athenian Case’ pp. 102-111; ‘The Panhellenic Cults’ pp. 112-140 (RR)

6(a). Does the speech On the Murder of Eratosthenes (Lysias I) provide us with reliable information about the position of women in Athens?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

There is a translation of this speech in Study Resources, topic 6.

You must read this speech and refer to it several times in the course of your essay. This speech is the cornerstone of your answer. However, you will be expected to mention other sources of ancient evidence as well (that is, this is not a comprehension exercise based simply on reading Lysias’ speech).

Consider carefully when and why this speech was delivered. Did it have to conform to a specific ideology regarding Athenian family life?

If so, does it give a biased picture of marital relationships in Athens?

What can be learnt from it about living conditions in an Athenian household and the extent to which women’s freedom of action was “restricted”?

Remember to discuss the evidence of the ancient sources.

or

6(b). Is it possible to argue that the lifestyle of women in fifth-century Athens differed from that of women elsewhere in Greece?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

Discuss the evidence from a wide range of sources, such as the orators, historians, comedy, tragedy, Plutarch, and inscriptions.

In your answer you need to compare the evidence given in the ancient sources for the role and duties of Athenian women and that which is concerned with women elsewhere in Greece.

The main evidence for non-Athenian women comes from the Dorian states, such as Sparta and Gortyn in Crete, where women arguably had more freedom and status than elsewhere in Greece.

On the other hand it is easy to read the evidence for Athens as showing that women there were confined to their homes, which was certainly not the norm.

Be prepared to discuss the extent to which the sources are biased in their portrayal of women and gender roles, and make sure that the evidence you use is specifically from the fifth century as far as possible (rather than from the archaic period or fourth century).

What can we learn from the ancient evidence about women’s status and living conditions in the cities of ancient Greece?

In your answer you should include discussion of sources such as Lysias' speech Against Eratosthenes and Xenophon’s picture of Spartan women in his Constitution of the Spartans.

Reading List:

(a)Study Resources, topic 6, including documents on the Greek family

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 13.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 244–47 (and see index for many references)

(b)Andrewes, A. Greek Society (Middlesex, 1971), chap. 10.

Blundell, S. Women in Ancient Greece (London, 1995), esp. pp. 113-149 (RR)

Cantarella, E. Pandora’s Daughters. The Role and Status of Women in Greek and Roman Antiquity, tr. M.B. Fant (Baltimore, 1987), esp. pp. 38-51 (RR)

Cohen, D. ‘Seclusion, Separation, and the Status of Women in Classical Athens’, G&R2 36 (1989) 3-15 (RR)

Cohen, D. Law, Sexuality and Society. The Enforcement of Morals in Classical Athens (Cambridge, 1991), esp. pp. 133-139, 146-156, 163-170 (RR)

Dover, K.J. ‘Classical Greek Attitudes to Sexual Behaviour’, Arethusa 6 (1973) 59-73 (RR)

Ehrenberg, V. The Greek State (Oxford, 1960), consult index (RR)

Gardner, J.F. ‘Aristophanes and Male Anxiety – the Defence of the Oikos’, G&R2 36 (1989) 51-62 (RR)

Gould, J. ‘Law, Custom and Myth: Aspects of the Social Position of Women in Classical Athens’ JHS 100 (1980) 38-59 (RR)

Harvey, D. ‘Women in Thucydides’ Arethusa 18 (1985) 67-90 (RR)

Just, R. Women in Athenian Law and Life (London, 1989), esp. pp. 26-39 (legal capabilities), 76-104 (family & property), 105-125 (freedom & seclusion) (RR)

Keuls, E. The Reign of the Phallus (Berkeley, 1993) pp. 98–128 (citizen wives) 153-86 (prostitutes) RR

Lacey, W.K. The Family in Classical Greece (London, 1968 [repr. N.Z., 1980])

Pomeroy, S.B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves (New York, 1975), pp. 57–78 (RR)

Pomeroy, S.B. Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece (Oxford, 1997), pp. 17–66 (RR)

Powell, A. Athens and Sparta (London, 1988), pp. 337–382 (RR)

Richter, C.D. ‘The Position of Women in Classical Athens’, Classical Journal 67 (1971) 1-8 (RR)

Stewart, A. Art, Desire, and the Body in Ancient Greece (Cambridge, 1997) pp. 108–29 (RR)

Walker, S. ‘Women and Housing in Classical Greece: the Archaeological Evidence’, in A. Cameron and A. Kuhrt(eds.) Images of Women in Antiquity (London, 1983), pp. 81-91 (RR)

Webster, T.B.L. Life in Classical Athens (London, 1969 [repr. 1978]).

Williams, D. ‘Women on Athenian Vases: Problems of Interpretation’, in A. Cameron and A. Kuhrt (eds.) Images of Women in Antiquity (London, 1983), pp. 92-106 (RR)

7.What were the main social and political features of Spartan society, and is it possible to explain any of these features? 

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

You need to look at the historical development of Spartan political and social institutions, especially in the context of the Messenian Wars and the helots.

What political and social institutions existed at Sparta? Were these different from those in other city-states?

Is it possible to account for Spartan social institutions such as the agoge? (Provide some points about the agoge, but not just descriptive details: try to reach an understanding of why individual features of the agoge existed.)

What seems to be the purpose of the dual kingship, gerousia, and the ephorate?

Consider the purpose of the Great Rhetra (and the so-called ‘rider’). What role did Lykourgos play in Spartan history (and perhaps consider whether he might actually have been a mythical figure)?

Remember to discuss the evidence of the ancient sources, especially what authors such as Herodotos, Xenophon, Aristotle and Plutarch wrote about ancient Sparta.  

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, topic 7, including the documents on Sparta

Herodotos (see index to Penguin edition under ‘Sparta’, and the guide to Herodotos in Study Resources, Part 2, Section B)

Plutarch, Life of Lykourgos (Lycurgus)

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece, chap. 6

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 93–102 (and see index)

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, chap. 2, pp. 28-49 (RR)

Fine, J.V.A., The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 137-175 (RR)

(b) Andrewes, A. The Greek Tyrants, chap. 6, pp. 66-77 (RR)

Burn, A.R. The Lyric Age of Greece, pp. 175-185 (Alkman to Tyrtaios), 265-284 (Sparta and Reaction) (RR)

Bury, J.B. and Meiggs, R. A History of Greece, pp. 89-99, 138-139 (RR)

Cambridge Ancient History, 1st edition, vol. 3, chap. 22

Cartledge, P. Sparta and Lakonia, esp. chaps 10-13 (RR)

Chrimes, K.M.T. Ancient Sparta

Demand, N. A History of Ancient Greece, 118-139

Fornis, C. & Casillas, J. ‘An Appreciation of the Social Function of the Spartan Syssitia [mess]’ AHB 11 (1997) 37-46 (RR)

Forrest, W.G. A History of Sparta 950-192 BC, esp. pp. 40-60 (RR)

Forrest, W.G. The Emergence of Greek Democracy, pp. 123-142 (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. A History of Greece, esp. pp. 101-106 and index (RR)

Hodkinson, S. ‘Social Order and Conflict of Values in Classical Sparta’, Chiron 13 (1983) 239-281 (RR)

Jones, A.H.M. Sparta, esp. pp. 5-43 (RR)

Kagan, D. (ed.) Problems in Ancient History, vol. 1, pp. 180-231 (RR)

Michell, H. Sparta (Cambridge, 1964)

Murray, O. Early Greece, pp. 153-172 (RR)

Sealey, R. A History of the Greek City States, pp. 66-88 (RR)

Thomas, C. ‘On the Role of the Spartan Kings’, Historia 23 (1974) 257-270 (RR)

8.To what extent is Herodotos’ account of Kleomenes I’s reign biased against him?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

Do not attempt this question unless you read the various passages about Kleomenes in Herodotos and are prepared to discuss them in your answer to the question.

You will need to go through Herodotos and read all of the passages which are concerned with Kleomenes: there is a list of the relevant passages in the Study Resources: Notes on Kleomenes.

Consider which passages contain comments which could be viewed as biased against Kleomenes.

Are there any factors which could account for this bias against Kleomenes?

Does Herodotos make any positive comments about Kleomenes and his actions?

Does Herodotos appear to be following two contradictory traditions about Kleomenes?

To answer this question, you need to consider the reign of Kleomenes (including how he came to be king) and the policies which he pursued.

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, topic 8, including documents on Sparta

Herodotos (see index to Penguin edition under ‘Sparta’ and ‘Cleomenes’, and the guide to Herodotos in Study Resources, Part 2, Section B; note also the list of references given to the ancient sources on Kleomenes’ reign in Study Resources, topic 8)

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, docs 1.17, 4.36-38, 5.2-3, 6.44-49

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 101–102 (and see index).

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, chap. 2, pp. 28-49 (RR)

(b) Andrewes, A. The Greek Tyrants, chap. 6, pp. 66-77 (RR)

Burn, A.R. The Lyric Age of Greece, pp. 265-284, 318-319, 323-324 (RR)

Bury, J.B. and Meiggs, R. A History of Greece, pp. 132-136 (RR)

Cambridge Ancient History, 1st edition, vol. 3, chap. 22

Cartledge, P. Sparta and Lakonia, esp. chaps 10-13 (for Kleomenes I, see index) (RR)

Chrimes, K.M.T. Ancient Sparta

Forrest, W.G. A History of Sparta 950-192 BC, esp. pp 85-94 (RR)

Griffiths, A. ‘Was Kleomenes Mad?’ in A. Powell (ed.) Classical Sparta: Techniques Behind Her Success (London, 1989), pp. 51-78 (RR)

Hodkinson, S. ‘Social Order and Conflict of Values in Classical Sparta’, Chiron 13 (1983) 239-281 (RR)

Jones, A.H.M. Sparta, esp. pp. 44-55 (RR)

Kagan, D. (ed.) Problems in Ancient History, vol. 1, pp. 180-231 (RR)

Michell, H. Sparta (Cambridge, 1964)

Murray, O. Early Greece (RR)

Thomas, C. ‘On the Role of the Spartan Kings’, Historia 23 (1974) 257-270 (RR)

9.(a) To what extent can Solon’s reforms be described as successful?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

You will need to decide how you are going to measure success (for example fixing economic problems/avoiding internal collapse and whether a quick fix or long-term solution was required).

To answer the question you will need to know what problems faced Solon and what measures he took to fix them.

However, this essay is not about describing what Solon did but evaluating how successful he was.

The opinion of ancient authors on his success (or failure) and the events which followed may help you decide.

9.(b) Is it possible, from the surviving fragments of Solon’s poetry, to reconstruct his aims and achievements as archon in 594 BC?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

The question requires you to read the fragments of Solon’s poetry as recorded principally by [Aristotle] Athenaion Politeia and Plutarch Solon.

Attempt to determine what Solon himself reveals about his values, and his reforms carried out while archon in 594 BC.

What do Solon’s poems reveal about what he wanted to achieve, and what he did not want to do?

Is it possible to reconstruct his reform programme on the basis of his poetry?

What other evidence is useful for dealing with Solon’s reforms of 594 BC?

There is no point in writing on this essay topic unless you look at Solon’s poems, and discuss what Solon himself writes about his reforms. You may find it necessary to quote lines of his poetry and to discuss these (don’t quote the poetry unless you discuss it; quotations do not always speak for themselves). Tell the reader what you think a particular line or lines of poetry is / are saying.

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, topic 9

Plutarch, Solon

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 3.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 106–109

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, pp. 50-76 (RR)

Fine, J.V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 190-208 (RR)

Stanton, G.R. Athenian Politics c. 800 – 500 BC, chaps 2-3

(b) [Aristotle] Athenaion Politeia 5–12 (RR)

Andrewes, A. The Greek Tyrants, chap. 7, pp. 78-91 (RR)

Andrewes, A. ‘The Growth of the Athenian State’ in J. Boardman & N.G.L. Hammond (eds.) The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries B.C., Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd ed., vol. III.3, ch. 43 pp. 360-391 (RR)

Burn, A.R. The Lyric Age of Greece, pp. 22-25, 285-302 (RR)

Bury, J.B. and Meiggs, R. A History of Greece, pp. 121-126 (RR)

Ellis, J.R. and Stanton, G.R. ‘Factional Conflict and Solon’s reforms’, Phoenix 22 (1968) 95-110 (RR)

Forrest, W.G. The Emergence of Greek Democracy, chap. 6, pp. 143-174 (RR)

French, A. The Growth of the Athenian Economy, chap. 2, pp. 10-29 (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. A History of Greece, pp. 157-166 (RR)

Hignett, C. A History of the Athenian Constitution, ch. 4, pp. 86-107 (RR)

Hopper, R.J. ‘The Solonian Crisis’ in E. Badian (ed.) Ancient Society and Institutions: Studies in Honour of Victor Ehrenberg, pp. 139-146 (RR)

Murray, O. Early Greece, pp. 173-191 (RR)

Sealey, R. A History of the Greek City States, pp. 107-123 (RR)

Snodgrass, A.M. ‘The Hoplite Reform and History’, JHS 85 (1965) 110-22 (RR)

10(a). Why did Peisistratos experience difficulties in establishing himself as tyrant of Athens? What do these difficulties reveal about the nature of Athenian politics at the time?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

Look particularly at the passages in the ancient sources (Herodotos, Thucydides, the Athenaion Politeia, and Plutarch) to which references are given below.

How many attempts did Peisistratos make before establishing a permanent tyranny?

Why did his first two attempts ultimately fail?

Why did the third succeed in establishing a tyranny that lasted until his death?

By what means did Peisistratos maintain his tyranny?

What was the nature of Athenian politics in this period?

or

10(b). How far can it be said that the rule of the Peisistratids was beneficial for Athenian political and economic development?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

Look particularly at the passages in the ancient sources (Herodotos, Thucydides, the Athenaion Politeia, and Plutarch) to which references are given below.

You will need to consider the rule of both Peisistratos and his sons. 

Before you can answer this question you will need to identify what they did and the effects of their rule on Athenian politics and the economy. 

The essay, though, doesn’t require you to simply describe this, but to evaluate how far their rule helped Athenian political and economic development. To do this you will need to look at the situation before and after the Peisistratids and the extent to which their rule caused beneficial changes (if any). 

Did their rule break down aristocratic power and pave the way for Kleisthenes’ reforms? 

Did the tax system and public works aid the economy? 

What else did they do to improve things and were any improvements short- or long-term?

Reading List:

(a)Study Resources, topic 10

Herodotos, I.59-64, V.62-65

Plutarch, Solon, 29-31

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece, chap. 4.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 106-109

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, chap. 4, pp. 77-90 (RR)

Fine, J.V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 208-227 (RR)

Stanton, G.R. Athenian Politics c. 800 - 500 BC: A Sourcebook

(b) [Aristotle] Athenaion Politeia, 13-19 (RR)

Thucydides, I.20, VI.54-59 (RR)

Andrewes, A. ‘The Growth of the Athenian State’ & ‘The Tyranny of Pisistratus’ in Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd ed., vol. III.3 (Cambridge, 1982), chaps 43-44, pp. 360–391 (early Attica to Solon), 392–416 (Peisistratos) (RR)

Andrewes, A. The Greek Tyrants, chap. 9, pp. 100-115 (RR)

Boersma, J.S. Athenian Building Policy from 561/0 to 405/4 BC (Groningen, 1970), pp. 11-27 (RR)

Burn, A.R. The Lyric Age of Greece, pp. 303-313, 319-324 (RR)

Forrest, W.G. The Emergence of Greek Democracy, chap. 7, pp. 175-189 (RR)

French, A. The Growth of the Athenian Economy, pp. 30-48 (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. A History of Greece to 322 BC, pp. 164-166, 179-185 (RR)

Hignett, C. A History of the Athenian Constitution, chap. 5, pp. 108-123.

Jeffery, L.H. Archaic Greece: the City-States c. 700-338 BC, chap. 7 (RR)

Kagan, D. (ed.) Problems in Ancient History, vol. I, pp. 236-262 (RR)

Lewis, D.M. ‘The Tyranny of the Pisistratidae’ in Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd ed., vol. 4 (Cambridge, 1988), chap 4, pp. 287–302 (RR)

Sealey, R. ‘Regionalism in Archaic Athens’, Historia 9 (1960) 155-180 (RR)

Shear, T.L. ‘Tyrants and Buildings in Archaic Athens’, in W.A.P. Childs (ed.) Athens Comes of Age; From Solon to Salamis (Princeton, 1978), pp. 1-19 (RR)

Smith, J.A. Athens under the Tyrants (938.502/5651a)

11. How democratic was the system established by Kleisthenes' reforms?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

You will need to look carefully at [Aristotle] Athenaion Politeia 20-22 (RR).

You will need to look carefully at what Kleisthenes’ reforms involved and their effects. 

However, the essay is not about describing what he did – it requires you to decide how democratic his reforms were. 

This will require you to work out how you are going to measure whether his system was democratic or not. 

To what extent did his reforms give the ordinary people a real opportunity to participate at all levels of politics? 

Were the reforms designed to give his family an advantage?

Some consideration of Kleisthenes’ motives in carrying out these reforms might also be appropriate.

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, topic 11

Herodotos, V.66, 69-76

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates (London, 1994) chap. 5.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 112–115.

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, chap. 4, pp. 90-103 (RR)

Fine, J.V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 226-243 (RR)

Stanton, G.R. Athenian Politics c. 800 - 500 BC: A Sourcebook, chap. 5

(b) Athenaion Politeia, 20-22 (RR)

Burn, A.R. Persia and the Greeks (London, 1962), pp. 174-192 (938.03/B963P) (RR)

Burn, A.R. The Lyric Age of Greece, pp. 320-324 (RR)

Eliot, C.W.J. ‘Kleisthenes and the Creation of the Ten Phylai’, Phoenix 22 (1968) 3-17 (RR)

Fornara, C.W. & L.J. Samons, Athens from Cleisthenes to Pericles (Berkeley, 1991), esp. pp. 38-58 (RR)

Forrest, W.G. The Emergence of Greek Democracy, chap. 8, pp. 190-203 (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. A History of Greece to 322 BC, pp. 183-191, 219-221 (RR)

Hignett, C. A History of the Athenian Constitution, chap. 6, pp. 124-158 (RR)

Lewis, D.M. ‘Cleisthenes and Attica’, Historia 12 (1963) 22-40 (RR)

Murray, O. Early Greece, pp. 254-266 (RR)

Ober, J. Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens (Princeton, 1989), pp. 68-75 (RR)

Ostwald, M. ‘The Reform of the Athenian State by Cleisthenes’, in Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd ed., vol. 4 (Cambridge, 1988), chap 5, pp. 303–46 (930.C178 v.4/1988) (RR)

Sealey, R. ‘Regionalism in Archaic Athens’, Historia 9 (1960) 155-180 (RR)

Sealey, R. A History of the Greek City States, pp. 147-160 (RR)

Staveley, E.S. Greek and Roman Voting and Elections (London, 1972)

Wade-Gery, H.T. ‘The Laws of Kleisthenes’, in Essays in Greek History, pp. 135-54 (RR)

12. Why did the Persians lose the Second Persian War (480–79 BC)?

Points and questions to consider in answering the essay question.

You must refer in detail to relevant material in Herodotos.

You will need to ascertain the factors which enabled the Greeks to defeat the Persians in 480–79 BC.

These could encompass such things as any weaknesses in Persian strategy and tactics.

Note the difference between the two – strategy is the overall plan for the campaign, while tactics is the manoeuvring and fighting of the battles.

Consider any differences between Greek and Persian fighters in terms of equipment, morale and leadership, logistic problems, specific mistakes etc. 

Consider to what extent the Persians were responsible for their own defeat.

Consider relevant passages in Herodotos, as well as Plutarch’s Lives of Themistokles and Aristeides. 

Reading List:

(a) Study Resources, topic 12, including documents

Herodotos (use the guide to Herodotos in Study Resources; but note that Herodotos VII.139 = Penguin, 1972, p. 487 = Dillon & Garland, Ancient Greece, doc. 7.49 is essential reading)

Plutarch, Lives of Themistokles and Aristeides

Dillon, M. and Garland, L. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, chap. 7.

Dunstan, W.E. Ancient Greece, pp. 176–192.

Ehrenberg, V. From Solon to Socrates, pp. 134-174 (RR)

Fine, J.V.A. The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History, pp. 278-328 (RR)

(b) Balcer, J.M. ‘The Persian Wars against Greece: A Reassessment’, Historia 38 (1989) 127-143 (RR)

Balcer, J.M. The Persian Conquest of the Greeks, 545–450 B.C. (Konstanz, 1995).

Bengtson, H. et al. The Greeks and the Persians (London, 1968), chs. 3 & 4, pp. 37-68 (RR)

Brunt, P.A. ‘The Hellenic League against Persia’, Historia 2 (1953/54) 135-163 (RR)

Burn, A.R. Persia and the Greeks, esp. pp. 236-257, 337-475 (RR)

Bury, J.B. and Meiggs, R. A History of Greece, esp. pp. 157-162, 167-199 (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. A History of Greece, pp. 176-179, 201-253 (RR)

Hammond, N.G.L. ‘The Campaign and the Battle of Marathon’, JHS 88 (1968) 13-57 (RR)

Hignett, C. Xerxes’ Invasion of Greece (Oxford, 1963) (938.03/HIG) (RR)

Kagan, D. Problems in Ancient History, vol. I, section VIII, pp. 263-307 (RR)

Lazenby, J.F. The Defence of Greece 490–79 B.C. (Warminster, 1993)

Lenardon, R.J. The Saga of Themistocles (London, 1978), ch. 3 ‘The Beginnings of a Hero’s Career, pp. 27-44; ch. 4 ‘Salamis: a Hero’s Glory’ pp. 45-86; ch. 5 ‘The Fortification of Athens’ pp. 87-97 (RR)

Podlecki, A.J. The Life of Themistocles (McGill-Queen’s Univ. Press, 1975)

Sealey, R. A History of the Greek City States, pp. 181-230 (RR)

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