When the Sailors Brought Democracy

Ancient Athens was a place of intense political conflict and great instability — a time when cities such as Sparta, Corinth, Miletus, and Naxos dominated the Greek world. The need for political change led to a series of legislative reforms. Draco, Solon, and Cleisthenes, through their laws, gradually shaped one of the greatest political achievements in history: democracy.

But its foundation would never have been possible without the sea.

Already from the time of Solon, Athenian free citizens were divided into four classes, with different political rights depending on their wealth. The lowest class were the thetes. These were men who possessed no property beyond their own lives. It is important to understand that in an ancient army, each man was responsible for providing his own equipment — something extremely expensive for the time. A single suit of armor could be passed down through generations. It becomes clear, therefore, that the thetes could not participate in war.

A social group that draws neither power from wealth nor from the ability to fight cannot easily claim political rights. Under Solon’s laws, no thete could be elected to political office.

Everything changes when Themistocles envisions the Athenian fleet. Shortly before the invasion of Xerxes, he convinces the Athenians to invest the silver discovered in the mines of Laurion into the construction of the largest fleet in the Greek world.

This fleet would consist of triremes — and the type of ship is crucial. Unlike the prevailing ships of the time, the trireme was a purely war-oriented vessel. It was not a merchant ship adapted for battle. In naval combat, it did not aim to approach the enemy and board it with soldiers. Instead, using its three rows of oars on each side and its powerful bronze ram, it was designed to strike the enemy with force and sink it.

Victory depended not on individual warriors, but on the coordination, training, and discipline of the crew. For this reason, such ships could not be manned by untrained slaves of uncertain quality. They required free citizens.

This need for a new kind of army made the thetes essential. For the first time, the poorest citizens became necessary for the military strength of the city. It is also important to note that a sailor received a daily wage, often higher than that of a simple infantry soldier.

Over time, and especially after the victory at the Battle of Salamis, the Athenian fleet became the spearhead of Athenian power and the main instrument through which Athens established its dominance in the Greek world.

Now even the poorest citizens were indispensable components of the city’s military machine. With a stable income and a decisive role in war, their political power steadily increased.

The final stage in this development comes with the reforms of Pericles, who ensured that the decisions of the Assembly became definitive, without the possibility of veto from the aristocratic council of the Areopagus.

In this way, the naval power of Athens helped solidify the political system that would go on to shape the Western world for centuries to come.