City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2016 Interstate Alliances of the Fourth-Century BCE Greek World: A Socio-Cultural Perspective Nicholas D. Cross The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1479 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] INTERSTATE ALLIANCES IN THE FOURTH-CENTURY BCE GREEK WORLD: A SOCIO-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE by Nicholas D. Cross A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2016 © 2016 Nicholas D. Cross All Rights Reserved ii Interstate Alliances in the Fourth-Century BCE Greek World: A Socio-Cultural Perspective by Nicholas D. Cross This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ______________ __________________________________________ Date Jennifer Roberts Chair of Examining Committee ______________ __________________________________________ Date Helena Rosenblatt Executive Officer Supervisory Committee Joel Allen Liv Yarrow THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Interstate Alliances of the Fourth-Century BCE Greek World: A Socio-Cultural Perspective by Nicholas D. Cross Adviser: Professor Jennifer Roberts This dissertation offers a reassessment of interstate alliances (συµµαχία) in the fourth-century BCE Greek world from a socio-cultural perspective. Although there are a number of studies of ancient and modern alliances that approach the topic from a politico-military perspective, this is the first to apply a socio-cultural perspective to classical Greek alliances. By considering the subject in its own context, from the primary literary and epigraphic sources rather than modern theoretical models, this study aims to identify how contemporaries understood and represented their collaborative activities with other poleis. This approach leads to insights that challenge the widespread notion that classical Greek alliances were temporary affiliations designed for nothing more than political and military objectives. On the contrary, even though alliances materialized within the context of warfare, they were reifications of the ideational, cultural, religious, and economic interactions between individuals in each polis. The overall endeavor, therefore, can be considered a socio-cultural history of Greek alliances in the fourth century BCE. Part I shows how the practice of constructing an interstate alliance was a social activity that grew out of historical interactions on the interpersonal level. It also examines the constitutive element behind the legislative and religious activities in alliance negotiations, which strengthened old ties and developed new ones in a common cause and towards a common identity. Part II reviews the principal Athenian, Spartan, and Theban bilateral alliances of the fourth century BCE. It emphasizes their distinct alliance experiences and practices, while also noting the prevalent importance of socio-cultural factors for their success or failure. Part III reexamines the end of alliances and offers an alternative interpretation of that phase based upon contemporary perceptions. It also highlights the innovative and important contributions which this project offers to the wider academic community. Although this study seeks out contemporary perceptions, its conclusions engage with the current debates in history, classics, and international relations studies. iv uxori filiaeque meis v Acknowledgements Above all, I would like to thank my family, without whom I would not have started or finished my graduate studies. My wife, from whom I have been away for far too long, encouraged me to pursue an academic career and has given me moral support all along the way. Your love, Asawa ko, has carried me along this far and I know will continue to do so for many years to come. My daughter, the joy of my life, gave me a reason to bring my studies to completion. Thank you, little bean, for believing that daddy is not very far away – he is just inside the computer whenever you want to see him. My mother instilled in me from an early age a love of learning through her instruction in homeschool and field trips to historical sites across the United States. You are, inter alia, a word processing whiz, Mom, and I could never have completed my writing projects without your help. My grandparents were a constant source of happiness growing up, instilling in me a sanguine outlook that sustained me through the hardest moments of graduate school. Grandma, you showed me how to approach life as a game. Grandpa, you showed me how to approach life as a joke – I am still playing and laughing. I consider myself fortunate to have a stellar dissertation committee. When I first saw Dr. Jennifer Roberts, my adviser, on the History Channel years ago, I had no idea I would someday write my dissertation under her supervision. She has overseen my research for many years now, from my first project on international alliances in Herodotus to this current project. While providing valuable guidance, her continual affirmation has also given me the confidence to pursue my own direction in research. She has also been nothing but supportive of my professional pursuits, writing countless letters of recommendation on my behalf and arranging vi for me to work under her as an adjunct at City College of New York. She has made me a better scholar and instructor. Dr. Joel Allen has been a valuable mentor. From my first class (Rome and the Hellenestic East) at The Graduate Center and a year-long independent study to this current project, he has shown me the ropes of advanced scholarship. In many ways, our hour-long disputation over the suitability of the word “mercenary” for foreign soldiers in classical Greece was the starting point for my developing habit of thinking outside of the box. He has also been incredibly supportive of my professional ventures, inviting me to work under him as an adjunct at Queens College and submitting untold numbers of letters of recommendation on my behalf. Even though on leave, he has continued to show great generosity to me by serving on my dissertation committee. I am privileged to have Dr. Liv Yarrow on my committee. Even before I had a distinct conception of the shape this dissertation would take, she was the first to talk me through the process, over the phone, even while she was on leave in Turkey. Her penetrating questions and incisive comments made me rethink and rework my project until it was crisper and clearer. She is undoubtedly the most collegial and accessible professor I have known. From her prompting me and another shy classmate to mingle more at the Association of Ancient Historians annual meeting to her opening her home for xenia, she has shown that she is truly invested in my success as a scholar and as a colleague. Outside of my dissertation committee, I would like to thank Dr. Peter van Alfen, my advisor for the Eric P. Newman Graduate Summer Seminar at the American Numismatic Society. It was he who turned me on to the subject of international relations (and bicycles and raising daughters). His personal guidance and the considerable quality and wide scope of his vii research have had a great influence on my work. I could only hope to follow in his remarkable path of scholarship. Finally, I could not forget the positive support of Marilyn Weber, the Assistant Program Officer of the Ph.D. Program in History. The first time I met her, during the tense written examination, she offered me a cookie – which, I am certain, guaranteed my pass with distinction grade. Over the course of my graduate career, she has never failed to answer (or go out of her way to find an answer to) my questions or advocate on my behalf. Likewise, I am very thankful to Dr. Helena Rosenblatt, the Executive Officer of the Ph.D. Program in History, who believed enough in me to work tirelessly on my behalf for my first Graduate Teaching Fellowship. She never failed to have my best interests in mind, and much of my success at The Graduate Center has been due to her ceaseless support. viii Table of Contents Lists of Figures and Tables x Part I: Introduction to Ancient Greek Alliance Studies I. Models and Definitions 2 II. Procedures and Protocols 39 Part II: Case Studies (403-338) III. Athenian Alliances 70 A. From the Corinthian War to the Confederacy B. From Leuctra to Chaeronea IV. Spartan Alliances with Greeks and Non-Greeks 160 V. Theban Alliances in the 360s 201 Part III: Conclusions 232 Appendices Appendix A: Athenian, Spartan, and Theban Alliances (403-338) 247 Appendix B: Interstate Alliances in SdA (403-338) 252 Bibliography 254 ix Lists of Figures and Tables Figure 1 Greek Words for Interstate Alliances (403-338) 26 Table 1.1 Athenian Alliance Provisions (395-394) 52 Table 1.2 Athenian Alliance Provisions (395-394 and 362) 52 Table 2 Proposed Chronology of Athenian Alliances Leading to the Confederacy 116 Table 3 Provisions in Athenian-Spartan Treaties (375-369) 130 Table 4 Spartan Alliances in the Fourth Century 159 x PART I: INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT GREEK ALLIANCE STUDIES 1 Chapter I Models and Definitions The practice of constructing formal interstate alliances in the fourth-century BCE Greek world was a social activity.1 Alliances emerged out of the historical interactions between the parties in the social, ideational, religious, and economic spheres. The shared alliance experience, in turn, reinforced these associations and created further common interests, ideas, and goals.