고대 그리스 중서부 아카르나니아와 아이톨리아 코이논(koinon)의 정치적 변천과정

Abstract

The city states (Poleis) in Aitolia and Akarnania frequently took an independent standpoint during the Peloponnesian War. Decentralized koinon could not exercise a cohesive enough power to seek after a consistent and unitary foreign policy. Since the 4th century B.C., however, the development of mercenary forces and increased military collision enforced cohesiveness among the city states, which was accelerated by the need of self-protection or the need for military conquest against others. During the Peloponnesian War which spanned the end of the 5th century, the city states of Akarnania were comparatively much more mobile than those of the Aitoliain. The latter, however, especially Naupaktos, the harbor on the north seaside of the Corinthian Gulf, mostly took the side of Athens. However, in contrast, Leukas, the island neighboring with Akarnania on the west coast of Greece, was ever hostile to Athens. Meanwhile, in Kerkyra (Corfu), north of Leukas, the conflict was more fiercely developed than at any other place, between the democrats supporting Athens and the oligarchs on the side of Sparta as well as Corinth. Since the fourth century, however, intense discords between different political factions inside city state gradually disappeared. Instead of these, the relation among ‘koina’engaging mighty foreign or inner despotic powers rose as a matter of concern. At that moment, the liberty of citizens in weak or small scale city states gradually disappeared, and professional political authorities based on military power appeared on the scene. The individual foreign policy of each city state as well as the political antagonism between the so called oligarchy and democracy was able to unfold under the circumstances presupposing its independency. With the lapse of time however the increase of militaristic initiatives enfeebled the independence not only of Aitolo-Akarnanian city states but others also. Inversely the initiatives of strong city states among a koinon or exterior powers outside of a koinon prevailed to violate the independence of weaker city states, which resulted in stamping out political conflict inside of the polis as well. Not only degree of cohesion or oppression of power but also the operation mechanism of communities differed according to the epoch. According to Thucydides (3.105), a common court (koinodikasterio) was ever held in Olpai, the capital city of Amphilochia, by the community including Akarnania and Amphilochia. The organization composed for judicial affairs formed a striking contrast to that managed for political hegemony or military affairs which developed in the later period. This is why the former could be run on the basis of public opinion which did not necessarily premise any high-handed authority, while the latter tended to enforce the initiatives of the stronger or uppermost administrators, resulting in the development of despotism as well as militarism. The traditional freedom of Greek citizens, however, did not readily disappear, even if they were threatened by the increasing power of Macedonia and Rome. The tension between the independence of Greek city states or the liberty of citizens on the one hand, and the oppressive military power embodied by despotic dictators of each city itself or foreign conquerors on the other, lasted persistently even to the 2nd century B.C. when Rome annexed the Greek mainland as an administrative province. Even if neighboring with each other, and not to speak of the precedence in the period of formation of polis or koinon, Akarnania seems to have been more democratic and decentralized in comparison with Aitolia. Probably the divergence was due to the social mobility of Akarnania in which agricultural land could never be possessed, as there were developed city states colonized by the Corinthians who were occupied in overseas commerce, and its geopolitical location found itself along the coast between Greece and Southern Italy as well as Sicily. The social mobility of Akarnania is proved by the examples of Leukas and Oiniadai which used to act independently of other Akarnanians.