Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/67

 ATHENS 55 recorded. The office of archon lasted until long after the independent political existence of Athens and Greece had come to an end. The only important political bo8y existing in Athens at the time of the first appointment of life archons was the senate or council of the Areopagus, which appears to have been in its earliest constitution the representative of the Homeric boule, and until the time of Solon was called simply the boule, or senate. In the course of time the oppressions and abuses of the eupatridce gave rise to popular discontents, and Draco was appointed in 624 to draw up a code of written laws. He made no change in the political forms, but merely attempted to introduce a code the severity of which made it impossible to execute it. Twelve years after Draco's legislation Oylon, a member of the eupatrid order, attempted to usurp the supreme power of the state, but failed. Cylon escaped, and his partisans, who had taken refuge, some at the altar of Athena, others at the altar of the Eumenides, were put to death by the di- rection of Megacles, the representative of the house of the Alcmfflonidse. This act was sup- posed to have brought upon that race the curse of the gods, and they were expelled from the city in 597. Epimenides, the Cretan sage, was invited to purify the city from the pollu- tion of sacrilege by expiatory rites. His visit is placed in 596. The glory of Athens as a political commonwealth dates from the age of Solon, a liaeal descendant of King Codrus, born about 638 B. 0. At a tune of great political disturbance, resulting in part from the oppres- sions of the eupatridse, he was chosen archon in 594, and vested with unlimited power to make any changes that might seem necessary in the constitution of the state. He framed a new constitution, changing the title to politi- cal power from birth to property. He divided the citizens into four classes: 1. The pente- cosiomedimni, or those whose annual revenue was equal to 500 medimni of corn and upward. 2. The hippela, or knights, whose income ranged between 300 and 500 medimni, and who were sufficiently wealthy to furnish a war horse. 3. The zeugita, whose income ranged between 200 and 300 medimni, and who were able to keep a yoke of oxen. 4. The thetes, whose income fell short of 200 medimni. The 4th class were exempt from taxation and ex- cluded from public office, but they served as light troops in the army. Only the first class were eligible to the higher offices of the state ; the 2d and 3d classes filled the inferior offices ; the 2d class served in the army as horsemen, and the 3d as heavy-armed foot soldiers. All classes had the right of voting in the public assembly, which elected the archons and other magistrates. He established another legislative body, called the senate or council of the four hundred, elected by the assembly, 100 being taken from each of the four ancient tribes, into which the people were divided long before So- lon. The court of the Areopagus was endowed with enlarged powers, and with the general supervision of the conduct and lives of the citi- zens and the institutions of the state. Solon's kinsman Pisistratus made himself master of Athens in 560, adorned the city with many pub- lic works, collected a public library, and called around him the most distinguished poets, ar- tists, and scholars from every part of Greece. He died in 527, and was succeeded by his two sons, Hippias and Hipparchus. By the con- spiracy of Harmodius and Aristogiton, Hip- parchus was slain in 514, and Hippias was compelled to quit Athens for Asia in 510. Olisthenes and Isagoras were now rivals for power, and the constitution of Solon went for a time into full operation ; but Clisthenes soon reorganized the people of Attica by dividing them into ten tribes, instead of the old Ionic four tribes; and these ten tribes were local, and were subdivided into districts or town- ships called demes (iy/ioi). It was. customary to designate every citizen by affixing to his name the epithet indicating the deme to which he belonged. The senate was also changed, and -its powers and duties were greatly in- creased ; it now consisted of 500 members, 50 being taken from eacii tribe. The general con- trol exercised by the people over the affairs of government, through the ecclesia, was also greatly enlarged. The judicial powers of the. people were regulated by the establishment of the heliastic courts, of which ten were organ- ized, either by Olisthenes, or soon after his time. The new arrangement of the tribes led to a new arrangement of the military service, the administration of which was placed in the hands of ten generals, one being chosen from each tribe. With them was associated, how- ever, the polemarch, or third archon, who under the old constitution held the exclusive military command. The ostracism was also introduced by Clisthenes. The prosperity of Athens excited the jealousy of the Spartans, who soon made several attempts to overthrow the growing democracy. Their first plan was to establish Isagoras, the rival of Clisthenes, as tyrant of Athens ; but the expedition set on foot for the purpose failed. They next planned the restoration of the exiled Hippias ; and thus began that series of events which resulted in the Persian invasions of Greece, in repelling which the Athenians, under their generals Mil- tiades, Themistocles, and Aristides, took so con- spicuous a part. The history of Athens in this struggle is completely identified with that of Greece until the battle of Plataea, in 479, when the Persians were finally vanquished. The con- duct of the Athenians in meeting the invaders had given Athens the leadership of the coun- try; and this was now acknowledged in the formation of the so-called confederacy of Delos, a union of numerous states under the Athenian hegemony. The rebuilding <>f Athens on a larger scale, and with stronger defences, ex- cited the jealousy of the ^Eginetans and the Spartans, and attempts were made to interfere.