Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/384

 578 THE REVOLUTIONS. BOOK IV. well as that of the chief, was annual, and every mem- ber might enjoy it in his turn. This reform completed the overthrow of the aristoc- racy of the Eupatrids. Fiom this time there was no longer a religious caste, no longer any privileges of birth, either in religion or in politics. Athenian socie- ty was completely transformed.' Now, the suppression of the old tribes, replaced by new ones, to which ;dl men had access, and in which they were equal, was not a- fact peculiar to the history of Athens. The same change took place at Cyrene, Sicyon, Elis, and Spurta, and probably in many other Greek cities.^ Of all the means calculated to weaken the ancient aristocracy, Aristotle saw none more effi- cacious than this: "If one wished to found a democ- racy," he says, " he would proceed as Cleisthenes did at Athens ; he would establish new tribes and new phratries; for the hereditary family sacrifices he would substitute sacrifices where all men might be admitted, and he would associate and blend the people together as much as possible, being careful to break up all ante- rior associations." ^ When this reform has been accomplished in all the cities, it may be said that the ancient mould of society has been broken, and that a new social body has been formed. This change in the organizations which the ancient hereditary religion had established, and which ' The ancient phratries and the y"1 were not suppressed ; they continued, on the contrary, down to the close of Greek history ; hut they were thenceforth only religious hodics, and of no account politically. sanias, V. 9. 2 Aristotle, Politics, VII. 3, 11 (VI. 3).
 * Herodotus, V. G7, G8. Aristotle, Politics, VII. 2, 11. Pau-