07-17-2007, 12:50 PM
The ancient Greeks seemed to have a pathological dislike of each other than is almost pythonesque by modern standards.
It wasn't just friction between Achaian, Dorian, Ionian or Aiolian.
Sometimes it was within these groups - look at Sparta and Argos.
Had they ever truly united into a Pan-Hellenic superpower - would Macedon have risen to its preeminence? Would Rome have got off the ground? And so on ...
Their forms of democracy, oligarchy and all the rest - and their own micro-cultures - which created such a fractious assemblage of states and territories were far more important to them than any notion of greater brotherhood.
It was their achilles heel and their undoing - however, it does make them endlessly fascinating. 8) It was also at the root of why some would 'medize' and others firmly oppose the aggressor. The same was true in their dealings with Macedon and ultimately Rome. They wouldn't have viewed such views as treacherous. It was whatever was in the individual city-state's best interest that motivated them.
It wasn't just friction between Achaian, Dorian, Ionian or Aiolian.
Sometimes it was within these groups - look at Sparta and Argos.
Had they ever truly united into a Pan-Hellenic superpower - would Macedon have risen to its preeminence? Would Rome have got off the ground? And so on ...
Their forms of democracy, oligarchy and all the rest - and their own micro-cultures - which created such a fractious assemblage of states and territories were far more important to them than any notion of greater brotherhood.
It was their achilles heel and their undoing - however, it does make them endlessly fascinating. 8) It was also at the root of why some would 'medize' and others firmly oppose the aggressor. The same was true in their dealings with Macedon and ultimately Rome. They wouldn't have viewed such views as treacherous. It was whatever was in the individual city-state's best interest that motivated them.
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Ghostmojo / Howard Johnston[/size]
![[Image: A-TTLGAvatar-1-1.jpg]](http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d162/Ghostmojo/Argus%20-%20TTLG/A-TTLGAvatar-1-1.jpg)
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - "What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - "Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
[size=75:2kpklzm3]Xerxes - "What did the guy in the pass say?" ... Scout - "Μολὼν λαβέ my Lord - and he meant it!!!"[/size]
