Cavalry, democracy and military thinking in classical Athens

Abstract

In a comment on the benefits of the Athenian Empire the 'Athēnaiōn Politeia' ascribed to Aristotle claims that over 20,000 Athenians earned their livelihood directly from it. With the exception of 6,000 jurors and the 500-strong boulē, the majority of the positions were military. These included: "1,600 archers and in addition to these 1,200 cavalry (hippeis) ... and 500 guards in the docks with another 50 on the Acropolis. Around 700 men were employed at home and 700 abroad. When they later organised for war, as well as these men there were 2,500 hoplites, 20 guard ships, other ships conveying the tribute and 2,000 men chosen by lot. ... all these were maintained from public funds." This is an intriguing statement, linking some of the poorest Athenian citizens with some of the wealthiest as recipients of state maintenance for military purposes. The point of 'Ath. pol.' 24.3 is that the empire paid for the regular livelihood, or lifestyle, of many Athenians - from those who served in the normal peacetime fleet and as minor state employees, through some hoplites and up to the hippeis. This is not an uncommon statement in antiquity. ... The 'Ath. pol.' 24.3 and the information we have on the level of subsidy to the hippeis raise some important issues about the functioning of the democracy, especially in relation to military affairs. The aim of this chapter is to examine two of these issues. The first is why the Athenian democracy chose in the second half of the fifth century to establish one of the largest cavalry forces in classical Greece and in doing so to subsidise one of the wealthier groups in the city. The second and broader issue is what this can tell us about the military thinking of the Athenian democracy at the time. This chapter will first deal with the nature and purpose of the subsidies, the establishment of the cavalry corps, and, although more difficult, the date and context of their introduction.