Delian League Assignment – By Sam Clough
Account for the conversion of the Delian League into the Athenian Empire, between
478 – 445BC.
“Your empire is like a tyranny; it may have bee wrong to take it, but it would
certainly be a mistake to let it go.1” This was said by Pericles at a Spartan conference,
the is making obvious reference to the empire given to the Athenians by the Spartan,
and the vastness and the control given to Athens, over the other Hellenic League
members. Thucydides sums up the feeling of Athens in the terms that, “We have done
nothing extraordinary, nothing contrary to human nature in accepting an empire when
it was offered to us, and then in refusing to give it up. Three very powerful motives
prevent us from doing so – security, honour, and self-interest2”
The origins of the Delian League is controversial, in context to the Spartan Internal
problems, and the rapid increase of member states either through subjugation or
invitation. The only visible explanation of these occurrences can be explained by the
Spartan acceptance of Athens rise to power. According to Plutarch, “Pausonias treated
his own allies harshly, arrogantly and scattered insults far and wide with his
officiousness and absurd pretensions.3” This was only the beginning of Sparta’s
internal problems, which led to the recall of Pausonias under accusations of
corruption.
Whist Sparta’s internal problem were staring to unravel, simultaneously, the Ionian
allies approached Athens, so after their liberation of Persian influence and asked them
to, “take them under their protection…these approaches were mentioned by the
Athenians, who made up their minds to put a check on Pausonias, and to arrange
matters generally in a way that would best suit their own interests4”
This can be easily interpreted as the beginning of the leadership and rise of power to
Athens. One that showed and impressed the Spartan enough after the Persian Wars, to
gain leadership of the acclaimed Hellenic League off the Spartans, due to the lack of
involvement in finishing off the spread of Persian Influence in the Mediterranean;
Plutarch sums this up ad gives the possible reasons why the accession of the Hellenic
League occurred, “the Spartan ceased to send generals to carry on the war, preferring
to have their citizens behave with moderation and abide by their traditional customs.5”
Due to Sparta’s ongoing domestic problems, and according to Pamela Bradley, “The
continuing fear that the helots would revolt, and the need to consolidate it’s position
as leader within the Peloponese,6” isolates the actual fear behind leaving the borders
of the Pelopennese. According to Thucydides, the Spartans didn’t send ranking
officials, due to the fear of corruption as the demonstrated by Pausonias, and having
preferred, “to have their citizens behave in moderation and abide by their traditional
customs, instead of lording it over the rest of Greece.7”, only backs this statement up.
Therefore due to Athens common decent with the Ionians, were held in high reward
after the victory at Salamis, and having a large and experienced navy. The Spartans,
who by Thucydides claims that they were friendly at the time, believe that Athens
were quite capable of running the Hellenic League; This statements contradicts the
recorded belief of Sparta, ‘the war state’, breaks the traditional customs of the
Spartans, and this causes suspicion to a social-crisis within the Spartan society, this
sudden withdrawal, must have upset the Peloponnesian allies, and thence gave Athens
Delian League Assignment – By Sam Clough
a massive opportunity to increase it’s power base, of which must have accelerated the
Athenians into a position of prominent power.
Athens in 478 accepted hegemon, with the aims, “to compensate themselves for their
losses, by ravaging the territory of the king of Persia,8” with a long term goal of the
maintenance of freedom of the Greeks, “the objective therefore both offensive and
defensive.9” As the power and influence Athens had over the member states
increased, so did the political instability, the radical movement began to be more
proactive within the city, the lower class being employed as rowers is a good example
as it increased both the power base of the radicals and the power base Athens had over
the allies. This “draws attention, to as the democracy became more radical, so did the
belligerence of the whole empire,9”
It was through this belligerence of the alliance, Athens was able to take supreme
power, simply because it brought security, with the loss at autonomy of the member
states. Those allies that didn’t follow the obligations as set out by Athens were
punished. A good example would be the revolt at Naxos, which was subjugated into a
tribute paying state. “Not every state experienced this imperialistic relationship, the
ship contributing nations shared a special relationship, as they had significant power
over Athens, mainly because if they defect, Athens’ would have a massive problem
on its hands10”, as most of the money went towards the building projects, as compared
with ship maintenance.
In 465, Athens set up a cleruchy near Laurium, in Thrace, for silver ore extraction,
this caused the Thracian economy to decline. The end result was a personal quarrel
between Thrace and Athens, in which, Athens used “the use of league forces to reduce
a member state [Thrace] to subject status.” This was a major indicator of a major
transformation the league was experiencing, and its possible use to promote Athens
interests in the future. “It was through this opportunism of the Athenians, and the
allies allowing the loss of autonomy to occur, was through the demonstration by many
of the member states sending away tribute instead of ships. This is a clear signal that a
decision was made regarding the loss of autonomy, over security was made11”
In a final act of supremacy, Athens in 454, moved the allied treasury at Delos, to the
Parthenon in Athens, on the basis of a possible attack by the Phoenicians who were in
the Aegean. “Although reasons of safety could be justified, the move was a significant
step in the evolution of the league.12” Prior to this act, the congress of allies had
control over the treasury, but soon after 454, the congress ceased to meet, and the
league revenue became part of Athens own treasury. This movement was the final
‘stepping-stone’ Athens required setting out, and completing its building program.
This fateful act by the allies guaranteed them total loss of autonomy, especially the
tribute paying states, as now they are paying directly into the Athenian treasury.
In 451, the Athenian grip upon the member states tightened, due to a five year truce
with Sparta, this allowed the reconsolidation by Athens of it’s forces and it’s revolting
allies, this is suggested by an increase in tribute payed and the tribute lists on the
Acropolis grew from 135 tribute paying members to 155-173 members. The existence
of details from the Erythroe, Mietus and Colophon Decrees, after the resettling of the
revolting allies, also support that Athenian control over the Delian league was at a
peak.
Delian League Assignment – By Sam Clough
In 449, the Peace of Callias was established, between Athens and Persia. Although
now there was now peace, Athens still forced the member sates to contribute funds to
the treasury, so Athens can continue it’s building program, the allies were disgruntled
by this, since the ship contributing allies contributed during the wartime, and so
presumably the allies contributing money should stop also. But Pericles realised that
if the tribute stopped, so did most of the economic sanctuary gained from the allies,
and they would have to find alternate sources for income.
To fix this problem, Athens held a Pan-Hellenic Conference, this apparently was
planned by Pericles, to discuss the rebuilding of all temples destroyed by the Persians,
(mainly the Acropolis), and the security of the Aegean Sea, (the recognition of the
Athenian Navy as protector of the Aegean, mainly to reinforce itself). According to
Bradley, the invitation was negative, and Pericles saw it as a reason to achieve more
tribute from the allies, and to continue their contributions in order to further his
policies. Since this policy was stricter, the tribute list for 448 revealed the opposition
and hostility to the continued payment, Bradley points out “that many important
members (eg Miletus, and Aegina) were missing from the list and others such as
Thasos paid only part of what they owed.
“However by 446-445, there is no doubt, about Athens imperial position. The Chalcis
Decree, issued after the Euboean cities – of which Chalcis was the largest – revolted,
and required the inhabitants to take on an oath not to revolt against Athenian
demos.13” This laid the final foundation for the total imperialism of Athens over the
Delian League, and suggests that, “the Delian League began as an instrument for
collective security, was transformed into an instrument of foreign policy.14”
There is one quote by Pericles that sums up all the hatred gathered up by the
imperialist expansionism of Athens, by the rest of the allied empire. “Your empire is
like a tyranny; it may have been wrong to take it, but it is certainly a mistake if we let
it go.15”
Delian League Assignment – By Sam Clough
1. Thucydides, II,63
2. ibid, I, 76
3. Plutarch, Cimon
4. Thucyd, I, 95
5. Plutarch, Aristides
6. Bradley, 179
7. Plutarch, Aristides
8. Thucyd, I, 96
9. Bradley, 163
10. Grant, 2004
11. ibid
12. Bradley, 170
13. ibid, 177
14. Grant, 2004
15. Thucydides, II,63