Delian League

The First Athenian Maritime League was a league of Greek cities (polises) led by Athens that was formed during the Persian Wars in the first half of the 5th century BC. It is also known as the First Athenian Maritime League.

In the autumn of 481 BC, when the invasion of Greece by Persian King Xerxes I (the second expedition of the Persian Wars) became inevitable, the cities on the Greek mainland that were still prepared to fight against Persia responded to the call of Athens and Sparta and formed the Greek Alliance. Then, in the spring of 480 BC, when Xerxes I invaded Greece, Sparta assumed command of the allied forces and fought against Persia. Athens deployed a large number of warships (200 ships) that were incomparable to the other allied cities, but as early as the Battle of Artemisium, it demanded that it cede overall command of the navy to Athens, which was opposed by the cities of the Peloponnesian League, whose leader was Sparta. Immediately after the Battle of Cape Mycale in 479 BC, Athens' demands were accepted and the Greek islands of Samos, Chios, Lesbos, and other powerful islands that had recently been liberated from Persia were allowed to join the Greek League, which laid the foundation for the formation of the Delian League. The following year, when the commander-in-chief of the allied forces, Pausanias, was summoned to Sparta in Athens, Athens gained the long-awaited command of the Delian League, and the Delian League was formed.

Greek cities on the west coast of Asia Minor and in the Aegean Sea, fearing a Persian counterattack, trusted Athens as the flagman of Ionian liberation, but Athens aimed to build its own sphere of influence to rival the Peloponnesian League of Sparta. Approximately 200 member cities swore an offensive and defensive alliance to Athens in 478 or 477 BC. Member cities were obligated to either provide warships and soldiers or pay annual dues, and the general assembly of the alliance was held on the island of Delos (from which the name of the alliance originated), where the alliance treasury was located. However, from the very beginning, the alliance was completely led by Athens, with the ten alliance treasurers, called Helenotaimiai (meaning "Greek treasurers"), being Athenian citizens elected by the Athenian Assembly, and military command being monopolized by Athenian generals. The island of Naxos rebelled around 470 BC, was suppressed by force, and became a vassal city of Athens.

In 454 BC, the treasury of the alliance was moved to the Acropolis in Athens, and one-sixtieth of the annual dues of the allied cities was dedicated as firstfruits (aparchai) to the goddess Athena, the patron deity of Athens, and the details of the firstfruits were to be inscribed annually on a huge marble slab. In 450 BC, the Treaty of Callias was signed, officially ending the Persian Wars, but the collection of the annual dues continued. From around 450 BC, Athens' policy of power became more blatant, interfering in the internal affairs of the allied cities by placing garrisons and guardian groups, and sending in settlements to seize land. In the second half of the 5th century BC, this alliance became the "Athenian Empire," and the allied cities became vassals. During the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the league resolved to increase the annual dues, but after the failure of the Sicilian expedition, new customs taxes were established instead of the annual dues. With the defeat of Athens by Sparta in 404 BC, the Delian League disappeared in both name and reality.

In addition, a maritime league centered on Athens was also formed in 378/377 BC (Second Athenian Maritime League).

[Keiji Baba]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

紀元前5世紀前半のペルシア戦争の過程で結成されたアテネを盟主とするギリシア諸市（ポリス）の同盟。第一次アテネ海上同盟ともいう。

　ペルシア王クセルクセス1世のギリシア侵攻（ペルシア戦争第2回遠征）が必至となった前481年秋に、ギリシア本土にあってなおペルシア抗戦の構えを崩さなかった諸市は、アテネとスパルタの呼びかけに応じてギリシア連合を発足させた。やがて、前480年春のクセルクセス1世の遠征に対し、連合軍の総帥権をスパルタにゆだねてペルシアと戦った。アテネは、他の連合諸市とは比較にならぬほど多数の軍船（200隻）を出動させていたが、早くもアルテミシオンの海戦のときに、海軍の総指揮権をアテネに割譲することを求め、スパルタを盟主にいただくペロポネソス同盟諸市の反対にあった。前479年のミカレ岬の戦いの直後、アテネの主張が通って、ペルシアから解放されて間のないサモス、キオス、レスボスなどの有力島嶼(とうしょ)のギリシア連合加入が認められたが、これがデロスDelos同盟結成の布石となった。翌年、連合軍総帥のパウサニアスが本市のスパルタに召還されたのを機に、アテネは待望の総帥権を手に入れ、デロス同盟が結成された。

　ペルシアの反撃を恐れる小アジア西岸やエーゲ海のギリシア諸市は、アテネをイオニア解放の旗頭(はたがしら)として信頼したのであるが、アテネとしては、スパルタのペロポネソス同盟に対抗しうる自己の勢力圏を築き上げることがねらいであった。約200に及ぶ加盟諸市はアテネに対して攻守同盟の誓約をしたが、その年代は前478または477年といわれる。加盟市は、軍船・兵員の提供あるいは年賦金の納入いずれかの義務を負い、同盟総会は、同盟金庫の置かれたデロス島（同盟の名はこれに由来する）で開催された。しかし、発足当初からヘレノタイミアイ（「ギリシア財務官」の意）という10名の同盟財務官がアテネ民会選出のアテネ市民であり、軍指揮権はアテネの将軍たちが独占するなど、完全にアテネ主導型の同盟であった。前470年ごろに離反したナクソス島は、武力鎮圧されて、アテネの隷属市の状態に落とされた。

　前454年に、同盟金庫がアテネのアクロポリスに移され、同盟諸市の納める年賦金の60分の1が、初穂(アパルカイ)として、アテネの守護神であるアテネ女神に捧(ささ)げられ、初穂の明細が巨大な大理石板に年々刻まれることとなった。前450年にはカリアスの和約が締結されて、ペルシア戦争は正式に終わったが、その後も年賦金の徴集は続いた。前450年ごろからアテネの力の政策がいっそう露骨となり、同盟諸市の内政に干渉して駐屯軍や監視役人団を配置したり、入植団を送り込んで土地を奪ったりした。前5世紀後半には、この同盟は「アテネ帝国」と化し、同盟諸市は属国化した。ペロポネソス戦争期（前431～前404）には同盟の年賦金増額が決議されたが、シチリア遠征失敗後、年賦金にかわって通関新税が設けられた。前404年スパルタに対するアテネの敗北によって、デロス同盟は名実ともに消滅した。

　なお、アテネを中心とする海上同盟が、前378／377年にも結成された（第二次アテネ海上同盟）。

［馬場恵二］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例