Early Armies Manned By the Wealthy
As long as the military strength of a country depends on cavalry, the nobles and those with sufficient wealth to provide horses have a legitimate claim to power. After all, it's their lives and goods on the line. This was the case in Ancient Athens."And indeed the earliest form of constitution among the Greeks after the kingships consisted of those who were actually soldiers, the original form consisting of the cavalry for war had its strength and its pre-eminence in cavalry, since without orderly formation heavy-armed infantry is useless, and the sciences and systems dealing with tactics did not exist among the men of old times, so that their strength lay in their cavalry; but as the states grew and the wearers of heavy armor had become stronger, more persons came to have a part in the government."
Aristotle Politics 1297B
Need More Soldiers? Decrease the Qualifications
But with the rise of the hoplite, non-equestrian army, ordinary citizens of Athens could become valued members of society. For Athens, the hoplite warrior was not the poorest of the poor. Each hoplite had to have enough wealth to provide himself the requisite body armor to fight in the phalanx."Know that this is good for the city and for the whole people, when a man takes his place in the front line of fighters and keeps his position unflinchingly, has no thought at all of shameful flight, gives himself an enduring heart and soul, stands by his neighbour and speak words of encouragement to him: this is a good man in war."
Tyrtaeus Fr. 12 15-20
Rich vs Poor in Athens
By becoming a part of the hoplite phalanx, an ordinary citizen of Athens was demonstrably important. Along with his military importance came a sense that he had a right to be involved in decision-making processes. [See Four Tribes and the Ancient Social Order in Athens.] War meant the small farmer / ordinary citizen had to leave his farm, which could fail and his family starve unless a conclusion to the battle in which he was fighting was reached by the time he was needed to work his field. [See Land Shortage in Athens.] In addition, some of the aristocracy (known as eupatrids) became wealthier than ever because an economy based on exchange of commodities was replaced by coinage. The first clear sign of a new tension caused by the economy that developed between the eupatrids and the ordinary citizens was Cylon's attempt to usurp power in Athens....Next Page: Cylon
1, 2, 3, Greek Terms
© N.S. Gill
Features on Democracy in Ancient Greece and the Rise of Democracy
Sources:Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy, by Donald Kagan
The Greek City States: A Sourcebook, by P.J. Rhodes
The Rise of the Greeks, by Michael Grant
History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great, by J. B. Bury
