The Delian League
The Delian League (or Athenian League) was an alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens and formed in 478 BCE to liberate eastern Greek cities from Persian rule and as a defence to possible revenge attacks from Persia following the Greek victories at Marathon, Salamis, and Plataea in the early 5th century BCE. The alliance of over 300 cities would eventually be so dominated by Athens that, in effect, it evolved into the Athenian empire. Athens became increasingly more aggressive in its control of the alliance and, on occasion, constrained membership by military force and compelled continued tribute which was in the form of money, ships or materials.
The name Delian League is a modern one, the ancient sources refer to it as simply ‘the alliance’ ( symmachia) or ‘Athens and its allies’. The name is appropriate because the treasury of the alliance was located on the sacred island of Delos in the Cyclades. The number of members of the League changed over time but around 330 are recorded in tribute lists; sources which are known to be incomplete. The majority of states were from Ionia and the islands but most parts of Greece were represented and later there were even some non-Greek members such as the Carian city-states.
Initially members swore to hold the same enemies and allies by taking an oath. It is likely that each city-state had an equal vote in meetings held on Delos. Members were expected to give tribute to the treasury which was used to build and maintain the naval fleet led by Athens. Significantly too, the treasury was controlled by Athenian treasurers. The tribute in the early stages was 460 talents (raised in 425 BCE to 1,500), a figure decided by Athenian statesman and general Aristides. An alternative to providing money was to give ships and/or materials (especially timber) and grain.
The Delian League enjoyed some notable military victories. In 450 BCE the League seemed to have achieved its aim; the Persians were limited in their field of influence and direct hostilities ended between Greece and Persia.
Other successes of the League were not military but economic and political, Piracy was practically eliminated in the Aegean, inter-city trade increased, a common coinage was introduced, taxation became centralized, democracy as a form of government was promoted, and such tools as measurement standards became uniform across the Aegean. The primary beneficiary of all of these was certainly Athens and the massive rebuilding project of the city, begun by Pericles and which included the Parthenon, was partially funded by the League treasury
The League and its requirement of tribute was not always to the liking of its members and some did try to leave, especially as the threat from Persia gradually receded and the calls for tribute increased. Athens responded to city-states attempting to leave in dramatic fashion by attacking them.
Activity
Directions: After reading about the Delian league, write a letter or journal entry from the point of view of a member of a city-state that is part of the Delian League. Be sure to include your opinion of Athens and your involvement in the Delian League. There have been both successes and failures of this group, evaluate if one outweighs the other. Include specific evidence in your response. Your response should be 6-10 complete sentences