Download Haslam Easton Haslam MAJ Garriott ERH 201WX

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Easton Haslam
MAJ Garriott
ERH 201WX-02 Rhetorical Traditions I
2 October 2015
The Impact of Warrior Culture on Rhetorical Development in Athens
The warrior culture exhibited in classical Athens used rhetoric to push its agenda forward
and build the strength of the army. This was exhibited by the expansion of the cavalry around
435 BCE. The power of rhetoric on military thinking and strategy is also displayed in the courts
of Athens, men used rhetoric to convince the demos that they were patriotic against all evidence
to the contrary. Rhetoric also came into play in the commemoration of those killed in war. Grand
speeches were used to commemorate the war dead and paint a picture of the Athenian poleis.
These uses of rhetoric led to the rise of a greatly strengthened Athenian military. They
contributed to a series of seemingly poor decisions later in the Peloponnesian War that caused
the defeat of the Athenian military. The Cavalry took some hits which led to public outrage with
its use, culminating in a general disdain toward the cavalry and defeat due to misuse of the
cavalry.
In the years leading up to the Peloponnesian war, the demos in Athens made some very
sound military decisions regarding strengthening of the force and establishment of a permanent
cavalry class of warrior. These soldiers were typically wealthy, due to the cost of purchasing and
maintaining a cavalry horse. There was a state subsidy used to help offset the cost of feeding and
maintaing a horse for the cavalry. It is believed that this subsidy was not very substantial, which
means that people of lower status did not have the ability to join the cavalry. There are many
possible reasons that Athenian demos may have wanted to create a cavalry. These include but are
not limited to; Boeotia, a member of the Peloponnesian League, had a large and strong cavalry
force (Pritchard 118), the want for a well-trained cavalry available on short notice meant Athens
would have to pay for it (Pritchard 117), and to allow the upper class to benefit from the wealth
of the empire (Pritchard 115). This raising of a cavalry force seems to have been spearheaded by
Pericles, who used cavalry warfare with great success before the Peloponnesian war of 431-405
BCE. He faced two main barriers to the implementation of the cavalry. First being the
widespread use of hoplite warfare and the dominance of hoplite soldiers, and second being the
cost of raising the cavalry (Pritchard 123). It was ultimately decided that these barriers would be
worth going out of their way to overcome, and the demos decided to go ahead and fund an
Athenian cavalry. The Athenian demos proved to be well versed in military affairs at this time,
being able to engage in educated debate on the usefulness or uselessness of something for
military strategy. These debates involved the use of rhetoric through the speakers attempting to
persuade the demos to agree with their thinking and implement some change into the military,
whether it be raising a cavalry, bankrolling more triremes, or creating a subsidy to offset the cost
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of owning a cavalry horse. This pertains to the development of rhetoric because the Sophists
were still in Athens teaching at this time. Their teaching may have had an effect on those going
into the assembly to convince the demos of their case. In Pritchard’s book, Iain Spence says that
“All Athenian voters had vested interest in good military performance” (Pritchard 125). This
interest came from military aged men whose lives literally depended on a strong military as well
as the entire population of Athens wanting to maintain the safety and security of the city and the
strength of the empire (Pritchard 125). Pericles saw the cavalry as a form of defense. His
strategy for the use of the cavalry was predominately defensive in nature (Pritchard 127). He
planned to wait until his enemy had worn themselves out and then defeat them. This strategy
came to be known as the “Island Strategy” (Pritchard 127). These developments in the size and
use of the cavalry by the Athenian military highlight the knowledge of the demos concerning
military matters. This knowledge, coupled with the rise of rhetorical thinking in Athens around
this time, led to intense debates that ultimately ended up with good decisions being made to
prepare the upcoming conflict with the Peloponnesian League.
More to come later.