Historical Context - 427 BCE Athens

• Peloponnesian War in 4th year between Athens/Sparta + allies
• Athenians abandoned countryside, moved inside city walls
• Superior fleet provisions maritime empire
• Recent plague killed 1/3 population
• Cramped living conditions taking toll

Family Life - Archaeas and Dexalea

• Live in central Athens
• Archaeas: high-class pottery painter, relatively wealthy, participates in city affairs
• Dexalea: cannot participate in politics or own property
• 3 of 4 children survived infancy (1 son, 2 daughters)
• Daughters seen as liability requiring dowries
• Archaeas confident wealth allows good marriages without bankruptcy

Household Structure

• Own slaves from Thrace (captured in war)
  • Thrata: does housework, helps raise children
  • Phylon: pedagogos supervising son's education (reading/writing)

Daily Routine

• Archaeas rises early for ecclesia (assembly) meeting at dawn
• Burns incense, pours libation at courtyard shrine for household
• Dexalea remains home teaching daughters domestic skills
• Later retires to inner courtyard for fresh air

Ecclesia Meeting - Mytilene Decision

• Location: Agora (civic/commercial heart), then Pnyx hill west of Acropolis
• Participants: 5,000 native-born adult male citizens (completed military training)
• Agenda: single item - what to do with Mytilene people
  • City on Lesbos island where revolt against Athenian rule just suppressed
• Meeting process:
  • Heralds purify hill boundary with pig's blood
  • Citizens sit on benches facing platform
  • Opening words: "tis agoreven bulette" (who wishes to address assembly)
  • Citizens speak one by one - some advising mercy, others vengeance
• First resolution: execute all Mytileneans, enslave women/children for betraying Athenian allies during war
• Majority vote by raising right hands - motion passes

Post-Meeting Discussion

• Archaeas returns to agora for food/wine shopping
• Hundreds gathered discussing results, many unhappy with decision
• Returns home, tells Dexalea about debate
• Dexalea thinks killing innocent with guilty is harsh/counterproductive

Symposium Evening

• Archaeas attends friend's house symposium at dusk
• 9 men drink wine, discuss meeting well into night
• Archaeas shares wife's opinion urging mercy
• Friends eventually agree

Unprecedented Second Meeting

• Before dawn: heralds announce council called another meeting
• Second debate equally heated
• New resolution: execute only revolt leaders - narrowly passes
• Problem: ship with first resolution orders already dispatched previous day
• Second ship quickly dispatched to countermand order
• "Race of democracy against time"