Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

26 Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks
Like Archaic, the term Classical is laden with artistic prejudice,
because it implies that the era so named represents a peak of
unequaled cultural achievement.
The Athenian Empire
Immediately after the defeat of the Persians, the Greeks went on
the offensive by forming a voluntary maritime confederacy under
the leadership of Athens known as the Delian League. It was so
named because its administrative headquarters was on the tiny
Cycladic island of Delos (close to Mykonos). This confederacy had
the twofold objective of providing protection against the Persians
and ravaging Persian territory. It is not altogether clear why Athens
rather than Sparta took the lead, but the reason probably had as
much to do with Spartan timidity and inertia as it did with Athenian
enterprise. What the situation clearly called for was a maritime
power to hold Persian expansion in check. Sparta was ill-equipped
to take a leading role in such a venture both because its economy
was wholly based on agriculture and it was reluctant to commit its
forces abroad for fear of a revolt among the helots.
We do not know the names of all the signatories to the confederacy,
but it is estimated that about 150 states initially joined. The
principal requirement upon each member was to contribute ships
to a common fleet; however, the smaller states were permitted to
pay an annual tribute to a common fund instead. This annual tribute
amounted to 460 talents in the first year of the confederacy’s
existence—a very considerable sum of money, equivalent to millions,
if not billions, of dollars. Within a short space of time, however,
larger cities also found it more convenient to pay tribute rather
than provide ships. Eventually, only the islands of Lesbos, Chios,
and Samos, situated off the Turkish coast, continued to provide
ships. Although this development came about as the result of voluntary
decisions on the part of member states, it had the inevitable
consequence of converting Athens into an imperial naval power.
Although each state exercised only one vote in the council, it soon
came to be dominated by Athens, because it could easily influence
the votes of the smaller states. It did not take long for Athens to
reveal its hand. When the Cycladic island of Naxos tried to secede
in 470 b.c.e., Athens forced it back into membership. Four years
later, a similar fate befell the island of Thasos, close to the coast of
Thrace, after its inhabitants had appealed in vain to Sparta for help.
By now it was evident that the confederacy had become an instrument
of Athenian policy.