a smaller history of greece-第22部分

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ul　Athenian　armament　was　despatched　to　the　coast　of　Macedonia　and　laid　siege　to　Potidaea。

Meanwhile　the　Lacedaemonians；　urged　on　all　sides　by　the　complaints　of　their　allies　against　Athens；　summoned　a　general　meeting　of　the　Peloponnesian　confederacy　at　Sparta。　　The　Corinthians　took　the　most　prominent　part　in　the　debate；　but　other　members　of　the　confederacy　had　also　heavy　grievances　to　allege　against　Athens。　　Foremost　among　these　were　the　Megarians；　who　complained　that　their　commerce　had　been　ruined　by　a　recent　decree　of　the　Athenians　which　excluded　them　from　every　port　within　the　Athenian　jurisdiction。　　It　was　generally　felt　that　the　time　had　now　arrived　for　checking　the　power　of　Athens。　　Influenced　by　these　feelings；　the　Lacedaemonians　decided　upon　war；　and　the　congress　passed　a　resolution　to　the　same　effect；　thus　binding　the　whole　Peloponnesian　confederacy　to　the　same　policy。　　This　important　resolution　was　adopted　towards　the　close　of　B。C。　432；　or　early　in　the　following　year。　　Before　any　actual　declaration　of　war；　hostilities　were　begun　in　the　spring　of　B。C。　431　by　a　treacherous　attack　of　the　Thebans　upon　Plataea。　　Though　Boeotians　by　descent；　the　Plataeans　did　not　belong　to　the　Boeotian　league；　but　had　long　been　in　close　alliance　with　the　Athenians。　　Hence　they　were　regarded　with　hatred　and　jealousy　by　the　Thebans；　which　sentiments　were　also　shared　by　a　small　oligarchical　faction　in　Plataea　itself。　　The　Plataean　oligarchs　secretly　admitted　a　body　of　300　Thebans　into　the　town　at　night；　but　the　attempt　proved　a　failure；　the　citizens　flew　to　arms；　and　in　the　morning　all　the　Thebans　were　either　slain　or　taken　prisoner。



CHAPTER　X。

ATHENS　IN　THE　TIME　OF　PERICLES。

＇Note：　The　figures　referred　to　in　a　few　places　in　this　chapter　have　had　to　be　omitted　from　the　etext。＇

At　the　commencement　of　the　Peloponnesian　war　Athens　was　at　the　height　of　its　glory　under　the　brilliant　administration　of　Pericles。　　We　may　therefore　here　pause　to　take　a　brief　survey　of　the　city　and　of　its　most　important　buildings。　　Athens　is　situated　about　three　miles　from　the　sea…coast；　in　the　central　plain　of　Attica。　　In　this　plain　rise　several　eminences。　　Of　these　the　most　prominent　is　a　lofty　insulated　mountain；　with　a　conical　peaked　summit；　now　called　the　Hill　of　St。　George；　and　which　bore　in　ancient　times　the　name　of　LYCABETTUS。　　This　mountain；　which　was　not　included　within　the　ancient　walls；　lies　to　the　north…east　of　Athens；　and　forms　the　most　striking　feature　in　the　environs　of　the　city。　　It　is　to　Athens　what　Vesuvius　is　to　Naples；　or　Arthur's　Seat　to　Edinburgh。　　South…west　of　Lycabettus　there　are　four　hills　of　moderate　height；　all　of　which　formed　part　of　the　city。　　Of　these　the　nearest　to　Lycabettus　and　at　the　distance　of　a　mile　from　the　latter；　was　the　ACROPOLIS；　or　citadel　of　Athens；　a　square　craggy　rock　rising　abruptly　about　150　feet；　with　a　flat　summit　of　about　1000　feet　long　from　east　to　west；　by　500　feet　broad　from　north　to　south。　　Immediately　west　of　the　Acropolis　is　a　second　hill　of　irregular　form；　the　AREOPAGUS。　　To　the　south…　west　there　rises　a　third　hill；　the　PNYX；　on　which　the　assemblies　of　the　citizens　were　held；　and　to　the　south　of　the　latter　is　a　fourth　hill；　known　as　the　MUSEUM。　　On　the　eastern　and　western　sides　of　the　city　there　run　two　small　streams；　which　are　nearly　exhausted　before　they　reach　the　sea；　by　the　heats　of　summer　and　by　the　channels　for　artificial　irrigation。　　That　on　the　east　is　the　Ilissus；　which　flowed　through　the　southern　quarter　of　the　city：　　that　on　the　west　is　the　Cephissus。　　South　of　the　city　was　seen　the　Saronic　gulf；　with　the　harbours　of　Athens。

Athens　is　said　to　have　derived　its　name　from　the　prominence　given　to　the　worship　of　Athena　by　its　king　Erechtheus。　　The　inhabitants　were　previously　called　Cranai　and　Cecropidae；　from　Cecrops；　who　according　to　tradition；　was　the　original　founder　of　the　city。　This　at　first　occupied　only　the　hill　or　rock　which　afterwards　became　the　ACROPOLIS；　but　gradually　the　buildings　began　to　spread　over　the　ground　at　the　southern　foot　of　this　hill。　　It　was　not　till　the　time　of　Pisistratus　and　his　sons　（B。C。　560…514）　that　the　city　began　to　assume　any　degree　of　splendour。　　The　most　remarkable　building　of　these　despots　was　the　gigantic　temple　of　the　Olympian　Zeus；　which；　however；　was　not　finished　till　many　centuries　later。　　In　B。C。　500　the　theatre　of　Dionysus　was　commenced　on　the　south…eastern　slope　of　the　Acropolis；　but　was　not　completed　till　B。C。　34O；　though　it　must　have　been　used　for　the　representation　of　plays　long　before　that　period。

Xerxes　reduced　the　ancient　city　almost　to　a　heap　of　ashes。　　After　the　departure　of　the　Persians；　its　reconstruction　on　a　much　larger　scale　was　commenced　under　the　superintendence　of　Themistocles；　whose　first　care　was　to　provide　for　its　safety　by　the　erection　of　walls。　　The　Acropolis　now　formed　the　centre　of　the　city；　round　which　the　new　walls　described　an　irregular　circle　of　about　60　stadia　or　7　1/2　miles　in　circumference。　　The　space　thus　enclosed　formed　the　ASTY；　or　city；　properly　so　called。　　But　the　views　of　Themistocles　were　not　confined　to　the　mere　defence　of　Athens：　　he　contemplated　making　her　a　great　naval　power；　and　for　this　purpose　adequate　docks　and　arsenals　were　required。　Previously　the　Athenians　had　used　as　their　only　harbour　the　open　roadstead　of　PHALERUM　on　the　eastern　side　of　the　Phaleric　bay；　where　the　sea…shore　is　nearest　to　Athens。　　But　Themistocles　transferred　the　naval　station　of　the　Athenians　to　the　peninsula　of　Piraeus；　which　is　distant　about　4　1/2　miles　from　Athens；　and　contains　three　natural　harbours；a　large　one　on　the　western　side；　called　simply　Piraeus　or　The　Harbour；　and　two　smaller　ones　an　the　eastern　side；　called　respectively　ZEA　and　MUNYCHIA；　the　latter　being　nearest　to　the　city。　　It　was　not　till　the　administration　of　Pericles　that　the　walls　were　built　which　connected　Athens　with　her　ports。　　These　were　at　first　the　outer　or　northern　Long　Wall；　which　ran　from　Athens　to　Piraeus；　and　the　Phaleric　wall　connecting　the　city　with　Phalerum。　　These　were　commenced　in　B。C。　457；　and　finished　in　the　following　year。　　It　was　soon　found；　however；　that　the　space　thus　enclosed　was　too　vast　to　be　easily　defended；　and　as　the　port　of　Phalerum　was　small　and　insignificant　in　comparison　with　the　Piraeus；　and　soon　ceased　to　be　used　by　the　Athenian　ships　of　war；　its　wall　was　abandoned　and　probably　allowed　to　fall　into　decay。　　Its　place　was　supplied　by　another　Long　wall；　which　was　built　parallel　to　the　first　at　a　distance　of　only　550　feet；　thus　rendering　both　capable　of　being　defended　by　the　same　body　of　men。　　Their　height　in　all　probability　was　not　less　than　60　feet。　　In　process　of　time　the　space　between　the　two　Long　Walls　was　occupied　on　each　side　by　houses。

It　will　be　seen　from　the　preceding　description　that　Athens；　in　its　larger　acceptation；　and　including　its　port；　consisted　of　two　circular　cities；　the　Asty　and　Piraeus；　each　of　about　7　1/2　miles　in　circumference；　and　joined　together　by　a　broad　street　of　between　four　and　five　miles　long。

Such　was　the　outward　and　material　form　of　that　city；　which　during　the　period　between　the　Persian　and　Peloponnesian　wars　reached　the　highest　pitch　of　military；　artistic；　and　literary　glory。　　The　latter　portion　of　this　period；　or　that　comprised　under　the　ascendency　of　Pericles；　exhibits　Athenian　art　in　its　highest　state　of　perfection；　and　is　therefore　by　way　of　excellence　commonly　designated　as　the　age　of　Pericles。　　The　great　sculptor　of　this　periodperhaps　the　greatest　the　world　has　ever　seen　was　Phidias；　to　whom　Pericles　intrusted　the　superintendence　of　all　the　works　executed　in　his　administration。

The　first　public　monuments　that　arose　after　the　Persian　wars　were　erected　under　the　auspices　of　Cimon；　who　was；　like　Pericles；　a　lover　and　patron　of　the　arts。　　The　principal　of　these　were　the　small　Ionic　temple　of　Nike　Apteros　（Wingless　Victory）；　and　the　Theseum；　or　temple　of　Theseus。　　The　temple　of　Nike　Apteros　was　only　27　feet　in　length　by　18　in　breadth；　and　was　erected　on　the　Acropolis　in　commemoration　of　Cimon's　victory　at　the　Eurymedon。　A　view　of　it　is　given　at　the　beginning　of　this　chapter；　and　its　position　on　the　Acropolis；　on　one　side　of　the　Propylaea；　is　seen　in　the　drawings　on　p。　91；　as　well　as　on　the　Frontispiece　of　the　work。

The　Theseum　is　situated　on　a　height　to　the　north　of　the　Areopagus；　and　was　built　to　receive　the　bones　of　Theseus；　which　Cimon　brought　from　Scyros　in　B。C。　469。　　It　was　probably　finished　about　465；　and　is　the　best　preserved　of　all　the　monuments　of　ancient　Athens。　　It　was　at　once　a　tomb　and　temple；　and　possessed　the　privileges　of　an　asylum。　　It　is　of　the　Doric　order；　164　feet　in　length　by　45　feet　broad；　and　surrounded　with　columns。

But　it　was　the　Acropolis　which　was　the　chief　centre　of　the　architectural　splendour　of　Athens。　　After　the　Persian　wars　the　Acropolis　had　ceased　to　be　inhabited；　and　was　appropriated　to　the　worship　of　Athena　and　to　the　other　guardian　deities　of　the　city。　It　was　covered　with　the　temples　of　gods　and　heroes；　and　thus　its　platform　presented　not　only　a　sanctuary；　but　a　museum；　containing　the　finest　productions　of　the　architect　and　the　sculptor；　in　which　the　whiteness　of　the　marble　was　relieved　by　brilliant　colours；　and　rendered　still　more　dazzling　by　the