Achaean covenant
The Achaean Bund ( , often Achaean Bund , also for simplicity Achaia ) was an alliance ( Koinon ) of the northern Peloponnesian tribe of the Achaeans in ancient Greece , to which twelve and more Poleis later belonged.
The league of cities originally comprised the twelve Achai cities of Aigai , Aigeira , Aigion , Bura , Dyme , Helike , Olenos , Patrai , Phara , Pellene , Rhypes and Tritaia . Later Keryneia and Leontion joined them. During the expansion phase in early Hellenism , other cities joined the federal government, sometimes under duress. Some of these, like Sicyon or Corinth , did not belong to the tribe of the Achaeans.
history
origin
The first Achaean League came into being after the introduction of the democratic constitutions in the 5th century BC. BC, centered around the cult of Zeus Homagyrios . 373 BC The leading Polis Helike was completely destroyed by a tidal wave. Aigai, Olenos and Rhypes were abandoned and abandoned by the population because of their desolate condition. Keryneia and Leontion flourished and were accepted into the league in their place. The federation took part in the opposition to King Philip II. After the subjugation of Greece by Macedonia , the federation apparently disappeared and the former members led from about 300 BC. Partly war against each other.
Start-up
281 BC The Achaean League was re-established under the leadership of Dyme and Patras with the aim of driving out the Macedonians. This succeeded five years later in Aigion , which became the new center. In the Chremonideic War they fought in alliance with Athens , Sparta and the Ptolemies against the Antigonids , but lost. From 251 B.C. Areas not belonging to the ethnos were also integrated into the federal government. They were given citizenship and participation in the government .
Constitution
The federation had a people's assembly , a council and officials, initially two, probably from 255 BC. Were led by a strategist . The officials and council members usually came from the aristocracy of their respective home polis. Nevertheless, the historian Polybius praised the Bund as a model democracy. The representation of Polybius is the main source for the history and constitution of the Achaeans (especially 2.38-44 ), whose koinon is, however, idealized, which is not too surprising since the Arcadian himself was one of the leading officers of the league. His father Lykortas was around 185 BC. Several times BC strategist, while his son at least made it to Hipparchus .
expansion
Since the middle of the 3rd century, cities that did not belong to Achaia in the narrower sense also joined the union, the first being the city of Sikyon in the east . Under the strategist Aratos of Sicyon , who soon assumed a leading role and concluded an alliance with the Ptolemies , the Achaeans pursued a rather aggressive policy of expansion. The Antigonid garrisons were driven out of Corinth and Megara in a coup, whereupon Epidauros , Troizen and, a little later, Kleonai apparently joined them of their own accord.
Protection community
Elsewhere they negotiated with the local rulers and sometimes forced them to resign. This succeeded in Megalopolis , Orchomenus , Phleius , Argos and Hermione . The Achaean League therefore presented itself as a protective community against the danger of tyranny, even if this did not always correspond to the reality of power politics, since many of the supposedly disempowered men now dominated their poleis with Achaean backing. Above all, one fought quite successfully against the Antigonids, whose king Antigonos Gonatas controlled many Greek cities. Against his successor Demetrios II , the Achaeans even concluded an alliance with their old rivals, the Aitolians, around 239 . The Ptolemies , who had long rivaled the Antigonids for hegemony over the Greeks, received mainly financial support.
Crisis in the war against Sparta
The temporary alliance with Sparta turned into enmity over time, and when a young, energetic king came to the throne in Sparta, the Achaeans came on the defensive: In the Cleomenian War , the Spartan king Cleomenes III. draw many federal cities to his side, and it was feared that he might challenge the federal government for control of southern Greece. The Achaeans then changed in 225 BC Their policy fundamentally and called the previous arch enemy, the Antigonidic Macedonia, to help, whose king Antigonus III. Doson, however, demanded the surrender of Corinth as the price for his assistance. The old alliance with the Ptolemies has meanwhile been terminated; they then placed themselves behind Kleomenes.
Alliance with Macedonia
In alliance with Doson, the Achaeans won large parts of the Peloponnese, including in the Argolis and on the Isthmus of Corinth , but also in Arcadia . In 222 Cleomenes III became. decisively defeated in the battle of Sellasia . During the Second Macedonian War , the Achaeans changed hands in 198 BC. From the side of Macedonia under the Antigonid Philip V to the side of Rome in time , whereupon the covenant reached its greatest extent in the following years.
Partner of the Romans and Downfall
As a junior partner of the Romans, the Achaeans expanded their territory and were able to do so in 188 BC. Unite the entire Peloponnese under their rule, as the Aitolians who had fought against Rome were now completely disempowered. Above all, conflicts that flared up again and again with Sparta, which had meanwhile been forcibly incorporated into the Confederation, put a strain on the relationship with the Romans, who expected the Achaeans to pacify Greece. After Rome's victorious war against King Perseus of Macedonia, those who demanded unconditional submission to the Roman will finally prevailed in the covenant; they caused 168 BC The deportation of about 1000 domestic rivals to Italy, including Polybius .
Since the divided ruling class of the Achaeans did not succeed in bringing about permanent pacification of Greece and the federation against the declared will of Rome from 150 BC onwards. War on the Peloponnese, it came 147 BC. On the break with Rome: The Roman envoy L. Aurelius Orestes transmitted a senatus consultum , according to which Sparta, Corinth, Argos and other important cities had to leave the covenant; this would in fact have meant its breaking up. When the Achaeans refused, war broke out ( bellum Achaicum ). After the defeat of the Achaeans and the destruction of Corinth in 146, the covenant apparently had to be dissolved. However, it was re-established a little later, albeit greatly reduced in size and politically insignificant. South and central Greece finally became 27 BC. To the Roman province of Achaea .
List of strategists of the Achaean League
| year | strategist | origin |
|---|---|---|
| 256/255 | Margos | Keryneia |
| - | ||
| 245/244 | Aratos from Sicyon I | Sicyon |
| 243/242 | Aratos from Sicyon II | Sicyon |
| 241/240 | Aratos from Sicyon III | Sicyon |
| 239/238 | Aratos from Sicyon IV | Sicyon |
| 238/237 | Aigialeus | (?) |
| 237/236 | Aratos from Sicyon V | Sicyon |
| 236/235 | Dioitas | |
| 235/234 | Aratos from Sicyon VI | Sicyon |
| 234/233 | Lydiadas from Megalopolis I | Megalopolis |
| 233/232 | Aratos from Sicyon VII | Sicyon |
| 232/231 | Lydiadas from Megalopolis II | Megalopolis |
| 231/230 | Aratos from Sicyon VIII | Sicyon |
| 230/229 | Lydiadas from Megalopolis III | Megalopolis |
| 229/228 | Aratos from Sicyon IX | Sicyon |
| 228/227 | Aristomachus from Argos | Argos |
| 227/226 | Aratos from Sicyon X | Sicyon |
| 226/225 | Hyperbatas | |
| 225/224 | Timoxenus I | |
| 224/223 | Aratos from Sicyon XI | Sicyon |
| 223/222 | Timoxenus II | (?) |
| 222/221 | Aratos from Sicyon XII | Sicyon |
| 221/220 | Timoxenus III (II) | |
| 220/219 | Aratos from Sicyon XIII | Sicyon |
| 219/218 | Aratos from Sicyon (the son) | Sicyon |
| 218/217 | Eperatos from Pharai | Pharai |
| 217/216 | Aratos from Sicyon XIV | Sicyon |
| 216/215 | Timoxenus IV (III) | |
| 215/214 | Aratos from Sicyon XV | Sicyon |
| 213/212 | Aratos from Sicyon XVI | Sicyon |
| 209/208 | Cycliadas I | |
| 208/207 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis I | Megalopolis |
| 206/205 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis II | Megalopolis |
| 201/200 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis III | Megalopolis |
| 200/199 | Cycliadas II | |
| 199/198 | Aristainos from Megalopolis I | Megalopolis |
| 198/197 | Nikostratos | |
| 195/194 | Aristainos from Megalopolis II | Megalopolis |
| 193/192 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis IV | Megalopolis |
| 192/191 | Diophanes from Megalopolis | Megalopolis |
| 190/189 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis V | Megalopolis |
| 189/188 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis VI | Megalopolis |
| 188/187 | ||
| 187/186 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis VII | Megalopolis |
| 186/185 | Aristainos from Megalopolis III | Megalopolis |
| 185/184 | Lycortas from Megalopolis I | Megalopolis |
| 184/183 | Archon from Megalopolis I | Megalopolis |
| 183/182 | Philopoimen from Megalopolis VIII | Megalopolis |
| 182/181 | Lycortas from Megalopolis II | Megalopolis |
| 181/180 | Hyperbatos | |
| 180/179 | Kallikrates | |
| 175/174 | Xenarchus from Megalopolis | Megalopolis |
| 172/171 | Archon from Megalopolis II | Megalopolis |
| 170/169 | Archon from Megalopolis III | Megalopolis |
| 168/167 | Xenon from megalopolis | Megalopolis |
| - | ||
| 151/150 | Menalkidas from Sparta | Sparta |
| 150/149 | Diaios from Megalopolis I | Megalopolis |
| 149/148 | Damocritus from Megalopolis | Megalopolis |
| 148/147 | Diaios from Megalopolis II | Megalopolis |
| 147/146 | Kritolaos from Megalopolis | Megalopolis |
| 146 | Diaios from Megalopolis II | Megalopolis |
literature
- Andreas Bastini: The Achaean League as a Hellenic middle power. History of the Achaean Koinon in Symmachy with Rome. (= European university publications. Series 3: History and its auxiliary sciences. Vol. 335). Lang, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1987, ISBN 3-8204-9193-7 (also: Cologne, Univ., Diss., 1982).
- Thomas Corsten : From the trunk to the federal government. Establishment and territorial organization of Greek federal states. Oberhummer Gesellschaft, Munich 1999, pp. 160–176 and passim.
- Kaja Harter-Uibopuu : The Intergovernmental Arbitration in Achaean Koinon. For the peaceful settlement of disputes according to the epigraphic sources. Böhlau, Cologne et al. 1998.
- Jakob Aall Ottesen Larsen : Greek Federal States. Their Institutions and History. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1968, pp. 215-240.
- Yves Löbel: Rome and the "refugees". How Rome deals with Greek exiles from the Achaean League. In: Gymnasium . Volume 124, 2017, pp. 225-246.
- Athanasios Rizakis: Le collège des nomographes et le système de représentation dans le Koinon Achéen. In: Kostas Buraselis et al. (Ed.): The Idea of European Community in History. Conference Proceedings. Volume 2. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, Athens 2003, pp. 97-109 ( online ).
- Athanasios Rizakis: The Achaian League. In: Hans Beck , Peter Funke (Eds.): Federalism in Greek Antiquity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2015, pp. 118-131.
- James Roy: The Achaian League. In: Kostas Buraselis et al. (Ed.): The Idea of European Community in History. Conference Proceedings. Volume 2. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, Athens 2003, pp. 81–95.
- Ralf Urban : Growth and Crisis of the Achaean League. Source studies on the development of the Federation from 280 to 222 BC Chr. (= Historia . Individual writings. Issue 35). Steiner, Stuttgart 1979, ISBN 3-515-02861-7 .
- Thomas Schwertfeger: The Achaean League from 146 to 27 BC Chr. (= Vestigia . Contributions to Ancient History. Volume 19). CH Beck, Munich 1974.
