THE DANCING FLOOR OF WAR A study of Theban imperialism within Boeotia, ca. 525–386BCE Alex Wilson A thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Classics 2013 School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies THE DANCING FLOOR OF WAR: A STUDY OF THEBAN IMPERIALISM WITHIN BOEOTIA, CA. 525–386BCE This thesis is a reexamination of Thebes’ relationship with the neighbouring Greek poleis (city states) of Boeotia in early Greek history, including but not limited to the so-called Boeotian League or Confederation. Although it is generally acknowledged that Thebes was the dominant city of Boeotia in the Archaic and Classical Periods, scholarly opinion has varied on how to classify Thebes’ dominance. At some point in the period considered here, the Boeotian states gathered themselves together into a regional collective, a confederation. The features of this union (in which Thebes was the leading participant) obscure Thebes’ ambitions to subjugate other Boeotian states. I argue here that it is appropriate to define Thebes’ relationship with Boeotia as imperialist. I begin with a methodological consideration of the application of imperialism to ancient Greek history. The thesis considers in the first chapters three stages of development in Theban imperialism: firstly an early period (ca. 525) in which Thebes encouraged nascent Boeotian ethnic identity, promoting its own position as the natural leader of Boeotia. Secondly, a period (ca. 525–447) in which a military alliance of Boeotian states developed under the leadership of Thebes. Thirdly, a period which was the earliest true form of the Boeotian Confederation, contrary to scholarship which pushes the date of the Boeotian collective government back to the sixth century. I argue that the Boeotian federal constitution of 447–386 gave Thebes sufficient control of Boeotia to be classified as an imperialist structure. A final chapter independently considers the evidence of Boeotian coinage, which has often been used problematically to inform historical analysis of Boeotian relations. I argue that on cultural and economic grounds alone the numismatic evidence suggests that Thebes’ dominance in Boeotia extended to monetary influence. τοὺς δὲ Βοιωτοὺς ὑπὸ σχολῆς ἐκλυοµένους ἀεὶ βουλόµενος ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις συνέχειν, ὁπότε βοιωτάρχης αἱρεθείη, παραινῶν ἔλεγεν ‘ἔτι βουλεύσασθε, ὦ ἄνδρες· ἐὰν γὰρ ἐγὼ στρατηγῶ, στρατευτέον ἐστὶν ὑµῖν·’ καὶ τὴν χώραν ὑπτίαν οὖσαν καὶ ἀναπεπταµένην ‘πολέµου ὀρχήστραν’ προσηγόρευεν, ὡς µὴ δυναµένους κρατεῖν αὐτῆς, ἂν µὴ τὴν χεῖρα διὰ πόρπακος ἔχωσι. Wanting to keep in arms the Boeotians, who were growing dissolute with idleness, when Epameinondas was elected as their Boeotarch, he used to encourage them, saying: “Yet consider, gentlemen: if I am your general, you must be soldiers.” He called the country, which was flat and open, “the dancing floor of war”, because they could not rule it unless their hands were upon their shields. ([Plut.], On the Sayings of Kings and Commanders 193e) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have made this thesis better, directly or indirectly. I would like to thank the Classics Department of Victoria University, especially Dr Peter Gainsford and Dr Simon Perris, for an enormously valuable guided tour of Hesiodic epic, and Dr Judy Deuling, for her constant support and advice. Many stimulating conversations about ancient history with my fellow post-graduates, especially Daniel Diggins, Jason Morris, and Tania Hayes, are reflected in this discussion, and Chris de L’isle not only led by tremendous example but spent a great deal of his own time on reading and commenting on a draft, as did my father. I am very grateful to my supervisor Dr Matthew Trundle, for his guidance and expertise. My friends and workmates listened tolerantly to much more discussion of the Boeotians than they probably wished to. Most of all, I would like to thank my parents and sister for their unfailing support, and Sheryn Simpson, καλλίστη γυναικῶν, for her love, wisdom, intelligence and advice. πολλοὶ µὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλοι οὕτως ἐπολιτεύοντο, αἴτιος δ᾽ ἐγώ εἰµι τῶν λοιπῶν ἁµαρτιῶν. vii viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ vii List of Figures .......................................................................................................... x Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Imperialism in Ancient Greece ................................................................................ 4 Sources ................................................................................................................... 10 1 Boeotian Swine: Thebes and the Formation of Boeotian Ethnic Identity .............. 18 Regional Ethnicity in Ancient Greece ................................................................... 19 Ethnicity and the Confederation ............................................................................ 24 The Formation of Boeotian Identity ...................................................................... 28 “Project Boeotia”: Identity and Boeotian Unity .................................................... 32 2 According to Ancient Custom: Theban Hegemony and Boeotian Symmachy ...... 49 Early Cooperative (and Uncooperative) Efforts .................................................... 51 The Foundation of the Boeotian Confederation .................................................... 70 3 Poleis and Confederation: Thebes and the Boeotian Constitutions ....................... 77 The Boeotian Confederate Constitution ................................................................ 78 The Confederation in Practice ............................................................................... 89 The Local Constitutions ......................................................................................... 93 Thebes, Boeotia and the Peace of Antalcidas ........................................................ 94 4 Mad Heracles: Thebes and Boeotian Cooperative Coinage ................................ 104 Boeotian Monetisation, ca. 525 BCE ................................................................... 105 Federal Coinage ................................................................................................... 115 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 121 Works Cited ............................................................................................................. 124 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The Boeotian League from the 6th cent. to 146 BCE. ................................. x Figure 2: The earliest coins ..................................................................................... 120 Figure 3: Theban coins, late fifth century? ............................................................. 120 Figure 1: The Boeotian League from the 6th cent. to 146 BCE. From Funke, Peter (n.d.), “Boeotia, Boeotians”, in Brill’s New Pauly, edited by Hubert Cancik and Helmuth Schneider. http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/boeotia-boeotians-e218930 x NOTE ON TRANSLATION, SPELLING & ABBREVIATIONS All translations in this thesis are my own. All dates are BCE unless otherwise stated. Throughout this thesis I have used as much as possible the traditional Anglicised and Romanised transcriptions of Greek names, based on the Thucydidean Attic forms (e.g. Ismenias and Plataea, not Hismenias and Plataiai), in the hopes that the benefits of readability will outweigh the loss of fidelity to the original. For Greek terms, however, I have been very faithful to the Greek and not translated any except the very familiar polis. Abbreviations used are those of Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth eds., (2003) Oxford Classical Dictionary, third edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press), with these additions: ACT Hornblower (1991–2008). BNJ Worthington ed. (n.d.). CB Schachter (1981–94). CH How and Wells (1912). IGCH Thompson, Mørkholm and Kraay eds. (1973). HCT Gomme, Andrewes, Dover (1945–81). xi INTRODUCTION Βοιωτῶν µὲν γὰρ πολλοὶ πλεονεκτούµενοι ὑπὸ Θηβαίων δυσµενῶς αὐτοῖς ἔχουσιν… For many of the Boeotians, suffering from Theban greed, dislike them. (Xen. Mem. 3.5.2) At times the Boeotians were united in a league dominated by the Thebans, but such a league, in which force often had to be employed, was a far different and less effective means of achieving unity than the common Athenian citizenship.1 This thesis aims to demonstrate that Thebes dominated the other poleis in the Boeotian region from the late sixth century (ca. 525) until the development of a wider policy of Theban ambitions in the early fourth century.2 The regional politics of Boeotia consisted, in almost equal measures, of fractious disagreement and surprising cooperation between poleis; although it has been generally acknowledged that Thebes was a major player, the degree of aggression has been a point of some equivocation. In view of the formal structure of Boeotian cooperation (the so-called Boeotian League or Confederation), scholarship has tended to assume that disagreement was the exception to the cooperative norm.3 Fine’s assessment, quoted above, is typical of the cautious tendency