Cities and Kings Patrons and Clients “O son of the most mighty god Poseidon and of Aphrodite, hail! For other gods are either far away or do not have ears, or do not exist, or do not pay attention to us at all; but you we can see in your presence, not in wood and not in stone, but in truth. And so we pray to you.” ~Athenian hymn to Demetrius I Poliorcetes (Atheneaus, 6.253e)

The Needs of the Polis in the Hellenistic Period  Protection against external threats  Secure Grain Supply (agoranomoi and sitonia) Compare Athens’ interest in the Black Sea region during the “Second Athenian League”  Financial Stability and Alleviation of Public Debt

Problem Cases  Euphron of Athens in BCE  Agathocles and Hephaestion of Callatis at Istria ca BCE  Protogenes of Olbia in late third or early second centuries BCE  Cillus of Paros in second century BCE

Military Dangers: Lamian War, BCE Euphron of Athens (Austin #26) “[since Euphron] son of Adeas of Sicyon has [previously on every occasion] continued to show himself a good man towards the people of Athens, both himself and his ancestors; [and during] the Greek/ [war] which [the people of Athens began] on behalf of the Greeks, Euphron, returning [from exile] expelled [the] garrison from the [Acropolis with the support of the] Sicyonians and [after freeing] the city made it a [friend and] ally of the people [of Athens the first of the] cities [in]/ the Peloponnesus; and during all the [time] that the people was [fighting the war], he collaborated with the people and [gave assistance] to the troops and all others involved in [the war]; and when it happened that Greece suffered [misfortune and garrisons] were sent into the cities which had [expelled them], he/ preferred death at the hands of his enemies, [fighting] for the democracy, rather than to see his [own native city] or the rest of Greece enslaved…be it resolved by the people, that all the [privileges] granted by the [people] of Athens to Euphron in his honor should be confirmed.”

Danegeld: Agathocles at Istria, BCE (Austin #98) “Agathocles son of Antiphilus, born of a father who was a benefactor, continues to be a good and honorable man towards the city and the citizens…and after this, when (the Thracians of the chieftain Zoltes) [invaded] the land, laid siege to Bizone and ravaged the land, and the harvest was imminent, he was elected ambassador and traveled to the (Thracian) army, and as the citizens had given him instructions to redeem the land and the crops at [all]/ cost, he persuaded Zoltes and the Thracians at a cost of 600 gold pieces [not to invade] the land nor to approach the city, which enabled [the] citizens to secure all the [crops] from the land.”

Euergetism and Debt Relief: Hephaestion of Callatis, BCE (Austin #102) “Resolved by the council and the [people]; Dionysius [son of] Hieron was magistrate; the councilors [moved]: since Hephaestion [son of Matris]/ from Callatis, when the city owed him for [many] years for a [loan] made by his father 300 gold pieces [according to] a written agreement, and [considerable] interests had accumulated,/ he proved himself a good and honorable man and showed [understanding] for the difficulties facing the city, and remitted [the] interest which amounted to 400 [gold pieces], and [agreed] to recover the sum that was owed him/ according to the [written] agreement, which amounted to 300 gold pieces, without interest [over] a period of two [years]; for [these services] Hephaestion son of Matris from [Callatis] should be praised.”

Great Patrons and Public Calamities: Protogenes of Olbia, ca. 200 BCE (Austin #97) “Deserters were reporting that the Galatians (Celts) and the Sciri had formed an alliance, that a large force had been collected and would be coming during the winter, / and in addition that the Thisamatae, Scythians and Saudaratae were anxious to seize the fort, as they themselves were equally terrified of the cruelty of the Galatians. Because of this many were in despair and prepared/ to abandon the city... The people met in assembly in deep despair, as they saw before them the/ danger that lay ahead and the terrors in store, and called on all who were able-bodied to help and not to allow their native city, after it had been preserved for many years, to be subjected by the enemy. When no one would volunteer/ for all or part of the demands of the people, (Protogenes) promised he himself would build both the walls and would advance the whole cost of construction, although not less than 1,500 gold pieces had been advanced by him”

Threats of Famine and Starvation Cillus of Paros, 2 nd century BCE (Austin #110) “Cillus son of Demetrius…made every effort to ensure that the people should enjoy prosperity and abundance and be supplied with bread and barley at the lowest prices and of the highest quality…be it resolved to praise Cillus son of Demetrius and/ to honor him with a gold crown [and] a marble statue for his merits and for the zeal which he continuously displays for the people [and] to proclaim the crown at the tragic contest during the Great Dionysia, proclaiming/ [the] reasons why [the] people has crowned him.”

The Polis’s Rewards  Gold Crown  Bronze and Marble Statues in Public Places  Prohedria = Seat of Honor at Games and Festivals  Honorific Inscriptions in Public Places

Emergence of Hellenistic Monarchs and Royal Power: Super Patrons  Access to King Difficult  Kings as Founders of Cities (Alexander and Alexandria)  Kings Re-establish Old Cities: synoecism  Kings Restore Existing Cities: Demetrius and Sicyon in 302 BCE  Kings as Super Patrons: Relief at Rhodes in BCE

Kings and Reestablishment of Old Cities: Synoecism of Teos and Lebedos, ca. 303 BCE (Austin #40) “King Antigonus to the council and people of Teos, greetings. When we [previously considered]/ the quickest ways of completing the synoecism, we could not see where you would find the money [you need] in order to [give] the Lebedians the price of their [houses without delay]... [we therefore think it right] that ‘the wealthiest’ should be reckoned as numbering 600, [and that these] should make advance contributions in proportion to their property.”

King as Refounders of Cities: Demetrius I and Sicyon, 302 BCE (Austin #41; Diodorus ) “Demetrius made a surprise attack by night and forced his way inside the fortifications….He was on the point of bringing forward siege engines when the panic-strucken troops surrendered the acropolis by agreement and sailed back to Egypt. Demetrius moved the Sicyonians to the acropolis and razed the part of the city which adjoined the harbor, as it was strategically a very weak spot. He joined with the body of the citizens in the construction work and restored their freedom to them, for which benefaction they granted him godlike honors.”

Royal Relief at Rhodes, BCE Polybius “At about the same time the Rhodians, seizing the occasion presented by the earthquake which had taken place shortly before and in which the great Colossus and the larger part of the walls and dockyards had collapsed, used the incident in such a skilful and practical way that the disaster became a source of advantage to them rather than of damage. Rhodian diplomacy enhanced the magnitude and importance of the disaster, while their envoys conducted themselves with dignity and seriousness in public audiences and at private meetings. In this way they made such an impression on the cities, and especially on the kings, that not only did they receive presents beyond measure but they even made the donors feel under obligation to them.”

Autonomy and Freedom  Aristotle on Freedom: “To be in no way under the constraint of another” (Rhetoric 1367a32-33)  Hellenistic Monarchs as Protectors of Freedom and Autonomy  Polis-Freedom in the Context of Hellenistic Monarchy The Rhetoric: Immunity from taxation Freedom from garrisons The Reality: From taxation to syntaxis (free-will contributions) The epistates in the polis (protector of king’s interests)

Poleis and Kings: The Need for Intermediaries Intermediaries as Civic Patrons Athens and the poet Philippides in BCE Athens and Callias of Sphettus in BCE

“Philippides has on every occasion continued to show his goodwill to the people, and/ having gone abroad to King Lysimachus and having previously discussed the matter with the king, he brought back to the people a gift of 10,000 Attic measures of wheat for distribution to all the Athenians in the archonship of Euctemon (299/8)...and when King Lysimachus won the battle at Ipsus and Antigonus [and] Demetrius, he secured burial/ at his own expense for the citizens who had perished in the [emergency], and [as to all those who] were taken prisoner he interceded with the [king and] secured their release; for those who wished to serve in the army he obtained the right to enrol [in] separate formations with their own commanders, while to those who chose to leave he provided clothes and supplies/ from his own resources and sent them each to their chosen destination, more than 300 men altogether, and he also appealed for the release of all the Athenian citizens who had been placed in custody by Demetrius and Antigonus and were captured in Asia, and has constantly shown himself helpful/ to any Athenian who meets him and calls on his assistance.”

“When the people expelled the soldiers from the city, but the fort on the/ Mouseion was still occupied, and war raged in the countryside because of the (soldiers) from the Piraeus, and Demetrius was coming with his army from the Peloponnese against the city, Callias, on hearing of the danger threatening the city, selected 1,000 of the soldiers/ who were posted with him at Andros, gave them their wages and food rations, and immediately came to the rescue of the people in the city, acting in accordance with the goodwill of King Ptolemy (I) towards the people, and leading out into the countryside the soldiers who were following him, he protected/ the gathering of the grain, making every effort to ensure that as much grain as possible should be brought into the city.”