Volume 1

A dictionary of Greek and Roman geography / by various writers ; edited by William Smith.

Date:
1873
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of Greek and Roman geography / by various writers ; edited by William Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    37/1140 (page 15)
    any assistance to the confederate Greeks in the La- niian wav after the death of Alexander. (Pans. vii. 6.) But their independent spirit had awakened the jealousy of the Macedonian rulers, and Demetrius, Cassander, and Antigonus Gonatas placed garrisons in their cities, or held possession of them by means of tyrants. Such a state of things at length be- came insupportable, and the commotions in Mace- donia, which followed the death of Lysimachus (b. c. 281), afforded them a favourable opportunity for throwing off the yoke of their oppressors; and the Gaulish invasion which shortly followed effectually prevented the Macedonians from interfering in the affairs of the Peloponnesus. Patrae and Dyme were the first two cities which expelled the Macedonians. Their example was speedily followed by Tritaea and Pharae ; and these four towns now resolved to renew the ancient League. The date of this event was b. c. 280. Five years afterwards (b. c. 275) they were joined by Aegium and Bui'a, and the accession of the former city was the more im- portant, as it had been the regrdar place of meeting of the earlier League after the destruction of Helice, as has been already related. The main principles of the constitution of the new League were nowfixed,and a column was erected inscribed with the names of the confederate towns. Almost immediately afterwards Ceryneia was added to the League. There were now only three remaining cities of the ancient League, which had not joined the new confederation, namely, Leontium, Aegeira, and Pellene; for Helice had been swallowed up by the sea, and Olenus was soon after- wards abandoned by its inhabitants. The three cities mentioned above soon afterwards united themselves to the League, which thus consisted of ten cities. (Pol. ii. 41; Strab. p. 384; Pans. vii. 18. § 1.) The Achaean League thus renewed eventually became the most powerful political body in Greece ; and it happened by a strange coincidence that the people, who had enjoyed the greatest celebrity in the heroic age, but who had almost disappeared from history for several centuries, again became the greatest among the Greek states in the last days of the nation’s independence. An account of the constitution of this League is given in the Dictionary of Antiq^uities (art. Achaicum Foedtis'), and it is therefore only necessary to give here a brief re- capitulation of its fundamental laws. The great object of the new League was to effect a much closer political union than had existed in the former one. No city was allowed to make peace or war or to treat with any foreign power apart from the entire nation, although each was allow'ed the undisturbed control of its internal affairs. This sovereign power resided in the federal assembly ((tuVoSos, iKKXrjaia, (TvyeSpiov) which w^as held twice a year originally at Aegium, afterwards at Corinth or other places, though extraordinary meetings might be convened by the officers of the League either at Aegium or elsewhex-e. At all these meetings, every Achaean, who had attained the age of 30, was allowed to speak ; but questions were not decided by an ab- solute majority of the citizens, but by a majority of the cities, w'hich were members of the League. In addition to the general assembly there was a Council (BoyArj), which previously decided upon the ques- tions that were to be submitted to the assembly. The principal officers of the League were: 1. The Strategm or general (2TpoT777ds), whose duties were partly military and partly civil, and who was the acknowledged head of the confederacy. For the first 25 years there were two Strategi; but at the end of that time (b.c. 255) only one was appointed. Marcus of Ceryneia was the first who held the sole office. (Pol. ii. 43 ; Strab. p. 385.) It was pro- bably at this time that an Hipparchus Qmrapxos') or commander of the cavalry was then first appointed in place of the Strategus, wffiose office had been abolished. We also read of an Under-Strategus (^uTToarpaTriyos'), but we have no account of the extent of his powers or of the relation in which he stood to the chief Strategus. 2. A Secretary of State(ypafj.iixaTevs'). 3. Ten Demiurgi (pir]fxiovpyoi\ who formed a kind of permanent committee, and who probably represented at first the 10 Achaean cities, of which the League consisted. The num- ber of the Demiurgi, however, was not increased, when new cities were subsequently added to the League. All these officers were elected for one year at the spring meeting of the assembly, and the Strategus w^as not eligible for re-election till a year had elapsed after the expiration of his office. If the Strategus died under the period of his office, hit; place was filled up by his predecessor, until the time for the new elections arrived. It remains to give a brief sketch of the histoiy of the League. At the time of its revival its numbers were so inconsiderable, that the collective population of the confederate states wa.s scarcely equal to the inhabitants of a single city according to Plutarch. (^Arat. 9) Its greatness may be traced to its con- nection with Aratus. Up to this time the League was confined to the Achaean cities, and the idea does not seem to have been entertained of incor- porating foi'eign cities w’ith it. But when Aratus had delivered his native city Sicyon from its tyrant, and had pemuaded his fellow-citizens to unite them- selves to the League (b. c. 251), a new impulse was given to the latter. Aratus, although only 20 years of age, became the soul of the League. The great object of his policy was to liberate the Pelo- ponnesian cities from then* tyrants, who were aU more or less dependent upon Macedonia, and to incorporate them with the League; and under his able management the confederacy constantly re- ceived fresh accessions. Antigonus Gonatas, king of Macedonia, and his successor Demetrius II., used every effort to crush the growing power of the Achaeans, and they w'ere supported in their eftbrts by the Aetolians, who were equally jealous of the confederacy. Aratus however triumphed over their opposition, and for many years the League enjoyed an uninterrupted succession of prosperity. In b. c. 243 Ai’atus surprised Corinth, expelled the tjTant, and united this important city to the League. The neighbouring cities of Megara, Troezen, and Epi- dam-us followed the example thus set them, and joined the League in the course of the same year. A few years afterwards, probably in b. c.239. Mega- lopolis also became a member of the League; and in B.c. 236 it received the accession of the powerful city of Argos. It now seemed to Aratus that the time had arrived when the whole of Peloponnesus might be annexed to the League, but he experienced a far more formidable opposition from Sparta than he had anticipated. Cleomenes III., who had lately as • cended the Spartan throne, was a man of energy; and his military abilities proved to be far superior to those of Aratus. Neither he nor the Spartan government was disposed to place themselves on a level with the Achaean towns; and accordingly when Aratus at- tempted to obtain possession of Orchomenus, Tegea,