1. Clas 122 Citizenship and Status in Athens

3. Mycenaean Athens (c. 1600-1000 BCE)
‘Cyclopean’ (large stone) walls and palace on the Acropolis

4. Archaic Athens (c. 750-500 BCE)
’old’ temple of Athena on Acropolis

5. Archaic Athens (c. 750-500 BCE)
agora (market square) -prytaneion (dining hall) & bouleuterion (council chamber)

6. Establishment of Athenian democracy
Before democracy: rule by magistrates (‘archons”) + council of archons that met on the hill called the Areopagus
621 BCE archon Draco -- harsh laws that privileged aristocrats over others
Solon (c BCE) chief archon reformed laws to cancel debts which had obligated free men to put themselves into slavery to pay off what they had borrowed -broadened access to voting and juries 4 levels of wealth -> 4 levels of eligibility for public office. set up BOULE (400) and Ecclesia (all male citizens) -travelled in Egypt, Cyprus, and Lydia: met Croesus at Sardis: “call no man happy until he is dead”)

7. Establishment of Athenian democracy
Cleisthenes 508/7 BCE – isonomia equality under the law
established ten tribes made up of demes (precincts) from city, coastal and inland districts
changed boule to have 500 members, 50 from each tribe, chosen by lot boule proposed laws to ecclesia
expanded selection of juries
ostracism (exile by vote on ostracon – a piece of broken pottery)

8. Classical Athens (500-322 BCE)
Pericles c BCE -sponsored Aeschylus Persians in 472 BCE - ruled at Athens c : led Athens during the beginning of the Peloponnesian Wars (Athens vs Sparta BCE) -led effort to rebuild temple of Athena and other buildings on Acropolis restricted citizenship to children of 2 Athenian parents had rule changed to allow sons of his mistress to be citizens after his sons (of his wife) died in the plague

9. Athenian Autochthony
chthon = earth Hephaestus + Athena: semen spills on ground -> birth of Erichthonius, ancestor of all ‘true’ Athenians

10. Euripides’ Ion (and its celebration of Athenian-ness) setting: temple of Apollo at Delphi

11. Euripides’ Ion (and its celebration of Athenianness) setting: temple of Apollo at Delphi
major cult center
Pythian games
oracle of Apollo (an authority for all of the Greek world)

12. The Pythia at Delphi
-sits on tripod -produces prophecies that are interpreted by priests of Apollo

13. Euripides’ Ion RECW 4.4
Apollo (Loxias) + Creusa at Athens -> birth and abandonment of the baby rescued by Hermes (messenger god) and brought to Delphi Xuthus (Greek but not Athenian ) + Creusa (Athenian) -> no children born, they consult oracle at Delphi Apollo arranges that they be told Ion is Xuthus’ child -> Creusa tries to poison Ion -> Ion nearly kills Creusa tokens of Ion’s babyhood are recognized by Creusa -> Ion recognized as Creusa’s child and heir to her Athenian-ness ->Athena’s prophecy: Ion as founder of Ionians – speak a distinct dialect of Greek, establish colonies. Myth of Ion affirms Athens interest in and connection to these colonies

14. Plato, Republic RECW 4.8, 4.9
Socrates discusses ideas about the role of essential (genetic) qualities, relationships and hierarchies in the ideal city
(marriage as ’breeding’)
Plato, Menexenus RECW “The cause of our form of government lies in our equality of birth”

15. Aristotle, Politics RECW 4. 11, 12
Aristotle considers various ways of organizing a state, in part to explain why (democratic) Athens is the way that it is
4.11 mixture of backgrounds -> civil strife and conflict
4.12 ”theory of natural slavery”