Athens and Eretria: On the Formation of Inter-Polis Relations in Archaic Greece

Based on the analysis of narrative tradition, archaeological and epigraphic materials, the article deals with the problem of the organization of relations between cities in archaic Greece. Due to the volume of the research problem, which cannot be solved in one article, the authors focus on the example of the relations between Athens and Eretria, tracing them from the early archaic to the early classics. As a result of the study, the authors come to the following conclusions. First, contrary to popular opinion in historiography, the sources do not give grounds to consider Athens as one of the participants of the Lelantine War. Secondly, the relations of Athens and Eretria for most of the archaic period were built around the inter-tribal ties of the aristocracy. Marriage contacts of one of the leading Athenian genera - the Alcmaeonids - with one of the Eretrian genera becomes an important factor in the rapprochement of the two poleis. The subsequent struggle between the Alcmaeonids and Peisistratos for power in Athens affects Eretria more than once. The eretrian "horsemen" support Peisistratos, who himself organizes a joint colonial expedition with the Eretrians to the North of the Aegean. Thirdly, after the overthrow of the early Greek tyranny, the organization of foreign policy in both poleis also changes. Instead of private aristocratic initiatives of the archaic era, we meet policy actions, which are carried out by the decisions of the ecclesia. Such, apparently, were the decisions of the Athenians and Eretrians to support the Ionian revolt, the appeal of the Eretrians for help to the Athenians during the campaign of Datis and Artaphernes, and the decision of the Athenians to provide this assistance to the Eretrians.