Finally, after the shocking events of 88BC, Sulla began marching east. As the new year rolled around there was even an outward appearance of normality. The streets were empty of soldiers. Two consuls, elected by the Roman people, sat in their chairs of state and the Senate met to advise them-one could almost be forgiven for thinking not a lot had changed. Athens was the next destination of Sulla and his men. Athens had a very unique position in the Greek world. Here, more than any other Hellenic city there was a reverence and a devotion to her history. The Athenians never forgot -or neglected to tell anyone else that it was they who saved Greece at the Battle of Marathon. Athens was a very great power at one time and long ago had the greatest naval power in the Meditteranean. The Parthenon still stood upon the Acropolis, as a kind of reminder of her former glorious days. The Athenians memories of empire were just that-memories and the Romans regarded with great humor, the slightest hint that they still believed themselves a great power. However, even though Athenians may have regarded their Roman masters as bullying hicks, they knew better than to voice such opinions publicly. The Romans had no problem whatsoever plundering their defeated enemies, but they had always rewarded their friends, and Athens benefited from this policy as well.
The greatest 'gift' of this 'friendship' had come in 165 BC, following the final war against Macedon. The Senate had taken note that the island republic of Rhodes had been lacking in her enthusiasm in backing Rome in this conflict. Rhodes had been the major trading depot in the Meditteranean a long time. Rome had opened a toll-free harbor on the island of Delos and presented it to Athens. Subsequently Rhodes had seen her revenues go down the tubes. Athens had grown very wealthy from this arrangement-so wealthy in fact that by the start of the first century her currency had been recognized as legal tender throughout the Greek world. The Romans had shown that they could make or break economies with the same success they fought with on the battlefield. However, in 88BC with Mithridates armies camped in triumph on the opposite shores of the Aegean, the rules changed. The pro-Roman Athenian business elite watched in horror as their impoverished countrymen sent an embassy to Mithridates, which he welcomed, asking that if they provided him with a harbor if he would restore their democracy. The business classes in Athens knew what this would mean and began fleeing the city.
Democracy was officially restored. There were great scenes of jubilation and even greater scenes of slaughter. The revolution was led by a philosopher, Aristion. Aristion perhaps expected an easy go of things with Italy in a civil war and an alliance with Mithridates in the works. Democracy and independence both seemed to be in place to the jubilant Athenians. Little did they know how short-lived this revolution would be, for in the spring of 87 BC Sulla landed in Greece. Sulla headed directly for Athens. To their horror, the Athenians found themselves with five Roman legions commanded by Rome's most ruthless general camped outside the city's walls. The only tactic Aristion had was to compose songs about Sulla's face and his wife. These would be proclaimed from the city walls, as Sulla began to lose his patience-for both the comedy of which he was the subject and the people of Athens themselves. Sulla ordered the groves under which Plato and Aristotle chopped down. He sent an Athenian peace delegation back when they began to lecture him on the city's past saying, "Rome did not send me here to be lectured on ancient history." (Plutarch, Sulla, 13.) Once Sulla gave the order for the city to be brought back under heel and his troops license to plunder and kill, many Athenians committed suicide. These people remembered the fate of Corinth and could not bear to see the utter destruction of their city. The ruination brought by Sulla's troops was indeed terrible. All men who had served in the democratic government were executed and their supporters had the right to vote taken away. The businessmen who had run for their lives when the revolt had started came back to the city. The image is a bust of Sulla done at the height of his power.
I have at least two-if not up to three or four more posts ready to go-fighting this exhaustion or whatever it is has sapped my strength so bad that it is even a bit trying to type-hopefully this will not last much longer, and I will try to post as I am able to. Peace and be well to anyone stopping by!
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