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Coping with Chronic Warfare : The Athenian Experience

Lyttkens, Carl Hampus LU orcid and Gerding, Henrik LU orcid (2022) Salamis & democracy – 2,500 years after p.181-200
Abstract
In Classical Athens, being at war was more common than peace. The military expenditures were correspondingly large. The main puzzle, however, is not financial, but where the Athenians found the multitude of rowers needed for their ships. It was not until the end of the Peloponnesian War that there were good reasons to use slaves as rowers. The Spartan occupation of Decelea in 413 BCE had profound effects on Athens by forcing more than 20,000 Athenian households (including slaves) to seek protection behind the city walls. This arguably led to the introduction of social support in Athens and an extended use of slaves as rowers. The manpower losses in connection with the naval conflicts must have had a significant impact on Athenian society... (More)
In Classical Athens, being at war was more common than peace. The military expenditures were correspondingly large. The main puzzle, however, is not financial, but where the Athenians found the multitude of rowers needed for their ships. It was not until the end of the Peloponnesian War that there were good reasons to use slaves as rowers. The Spartan occupation of Decelea in 413 BCE had profound effects on Athens by forcing more than 20,000 Athenian households (including slaves) to seek protection behind the city walls. This arguably led to the introduction of social support in Athens and an extended use of slaves as rowers. The manpower losses in connection with the naval conflicts must have had a significant impact on Athenian society in several ways. We discuss three cases: the switch from ostracism to the graphe paranomon, the law on citizenship under Pericles, and the decision of the Athenian Assembly to execute the victorious generals after the battle at Arginoussai. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
In Classical Athens, being at war was more common than peace. The military expenditures were correspondingly large. The main puzzle, however, is not
financial, but where the Athenians found the multitude of rowers needed for their ships. It was not until the end of the Peloponnesian War that there were good reasons to use slaves as rowers. The Spartan occupation of Decelea in 413 BCE had profound effects on Athens by forcing more than 20,000 Athenian households (including slaves) to seek protection behind the city walls. This arguably led to the introduction of social support in Athens and an extended use of slaves as rowers. The manpower losses in connection with the naval conflicts must have had a significant impact on Athenian... (More)
In Classical Athens, being at war was more common than peace. The military expenditures were correspondingly large. The main puzzle, however, is not
financial, but where the Athenians found the multitude of rowers needed for their ships. It was not until the end of the Peloponnesian War that there were good reasons to use slaves as rowers. The Spartan occupation of Decelea in 413 BCE had profound effects on Athens by forcing more than 20,000 Athenian households (including slaves) to seek protection behind the city walls. This arguably led to the introduction of social support in Athens and an extended use of slaves as rowers. The manpower losses in connection with the naval conflicts must have had a significant impact on Athenian society in several ways. We discuss three cases: the switch from ostracism to the graphe paranomon, the law on citizenship under Pericles, and the decision of the Athenian Assembly to execute the victorious generals after the battle at Arginoussai. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Ancient Athens, Slaves, Rowers, War, Demographic change
host publication
Democracy and Salamis : 2500 Years After the Battle That Saved Greece and the Western World - 2500 Years After the Battle That Saved Greece and the Western World
editor
Economou, Emmanouil M.L. ; Kyriazis, Nicholas C. and Platias, Athanasios
pages
181 - 200
publisher
Springer
conference name
Salamis & democracy – 2,500 years after
conference location
Athens, Greece
conference dates
2020-10-03 - 2020-10-05
ISBN
978-3-030-98430-4
978-3-030-98431-1
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-98431-1_10
project
The Economics of Ancient Greece
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2b60c0f0-dd2e-4459-8af1-0203cf7983f3
date added to LUP
2022-02-08 09:28:57
date last changed
2023-12-14 02:42:50
@inbook{2b60c0f0-dd2e-4459-8af1-0203cf7983f3,
  abstract     = {{In Classical Athens, being at war was more common than peace. The military expenditures were correspondingly large. The main puzzle, however, is not financial, but where the Athenians found the multitude of rowers needed for their ships. It was not until the end of the Peloponnesian War that there were good reasons to use slaves as rowers. The Spartan occupation of Decelea in 413 BCE had profound effects on Athens by forcing more than 20,000 Athenian households (including slaves) to seek protection behind the city walls. This arguably led to the introduction of social support in Athens and an extended use of slaves as rowers. The manpower losses in connection with the naval conflicts must have had a significant impact on Athenian society in several ways. We discuss three cases: the switch from ostracism to the graphe paranomon, the law on citizenship under Pericles, and the decision of the Athenian Assembly to execute the victorious generals after the battle at Arginoussai.}},
  author       = {{Lyttkens, Carl Hampus and Gerding, Henrik}},
  booktitle    = {{Democracy and Salamis : 2500 Years After the Battle That Saved Greece and the Western World}},
  editor       = {{Economou, Emmanouil M.L. and Kyriazis, Nicholas C. and Platias, Athanasios}},
  isbn         = {{978-3-030-98430-4}},
  keywords     = {{Ancient Athens; Slaves; Rowers; War; Demographic change}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  pages        = {{181--200}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  title        = {{Coping with Chronic Warfare : The Athenian Experience}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98431-1_10}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/978-3-030-98431-1_10}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}