Author:
Henry Hattemer

Date Written:
3/20/2006

Works Cited:

Resources:

Herodotus' Ancient Greeks

Sixth and fifth century B.C. Greeks may have invented a system of governance that enfranchised a large portion of Greek men, but the greatest amount of influence was still exerted by powers greater than men. The secular sounding arrangement of representation and administration operated deep within the shadow of the gods. Olympus loomed large over Greek life, especially through Apollo at Delphi. A closer examination of ancient Greek democracy reveals a system born of and shaped by the otherworldly utterances of priestesses in the service of the divine. Neither the priestess nor the god was elected by a vote, restrained by a constitution, or held responsible for any decisions made at her behest. This influence sent its tendrils into almost every aspect of life, notably politics and foreign relations.

The importance of founding stories to ancient civilizations is well known. Whether it be myth, exaggeration, or historical fact, Greeks found identity and purpose in their founding. The founding of Athenian democracy was an event steeped in religious influence and manipulation. This may contribute to the power that religion continued to hold in their political system. Athenians were said to have bribed the priestess of Apollo at Delphi into convincing any Spartan that happened upon the temple that it was their duty to liberate Athens from the tyrants. (5.63) The repetition of this message, from the priestess to Spartans who came to Delphi, eventually convinced Cleomenes to send an army to Athens. The direct orders of the 'gods' were obeyed in a situation that was ostensibly absent any other powerful motive. Such a successful trick rooted in religion was especially meaningful in dismissing the Greeks as secular because the Pisistratidae, the rulers of Athens, were kicked out (eventually) by Spartans who were good friends of theirs. Thus the commands of the divine, strained through a priestess, were more powerful than a verifiable political and human relationship. The Athenian democracy was born out of a clever maneuvering of religious influence that trumped previous engagements.

Another instance of Athenian politics revolving around religion lies in Isagoras' attempt to usurp power form Cleisthenes. After the tyrants were removed from Athens, Isagoras was in competition with Cleisthenes for power. To gain political steam, he invokes an old curse that was said to have been laid upon the Alchmeonidae family, Cleisthenes' ancestors. (5.70) The accusations appeared to have traction, as they were repeatedly used as reasons for attacking Cleisthenes. Whether or not Isagoras himself truly cared about the curse is not important; the fact that he used it as justification for his actions suggests that some folks did care about the curse. When a curse affects politics, religion is interfering in the state in a way which would not happen in a secular system. Secular systems look to laws and precedents to remove or sustain an official in office. Athenians were looking to a curse which originated in the violation of the sacred ground of a sanctuary.

A third prominent decision made in Athens that hinged on religion alone was one that brought Themistocles to a position of prominence. Faced with an advancing aggressor with a larger army, the Greeks did not hesitate in consulting Delphi for advice. Ignoring for a moment the picture that is developing of Delphi as the puppeteer of Greece, consider a way in which religion affects the decision process twice. First Delphi issues advice, which may or may not be cryptic. In this case, the priestess claimed that wooden walls would save Athens. But then, the Athenians were tasked with interpreting this message.  (7.141-3) Themistocles staked his reputation, not to mention the existence and well being of his state, on an interpretation of an utterance inspired by a god. In a secular society, the military may kneel to a god to pray, but it would not rely on frantic divinations in its decision making. Throughout the Greeks' discussion of the prophecy and its meaning, there is no banter on whether building ships was a sound tactic, rather, the conversations revolved around whether that tactic conflicted with another piece of the prophecy; whether their attempt to follow the advice of a god interfered with other sayings of the god.

In all three cases, enormous decisions of peace and war, life and death, are being made with religion alone in mind. The Spartans attacked their good friends in an attempt to comply with the oracle. Isagoras attempts to overthrow Cleisthenes because of a curse. The Greeks stake their livelihood on an interpretation of Delphi. These decisions and events were significant enough for readers to be studying them thousands of years later, and they were driven by religion. That is not to say that the argument that ancient Greek democracies were not secular couldn't be made by examining only small decisions. That the names of the Athenian tribes were chosen by an oracle given a list of heroes speaks volumes about the importance of religion. But the gods loom much larger than that. The ancient Greeks perhaps invented the democracy, but their version has been improved upon over time. One major improvement, perhaps the most important, has been secularization.