Constitution of the Athenians

​XXIII. Up to this time, then, the city progressed, growing gradually along with the democracy. But after the Persian Wars, the Council of Areopagus became powerful again and administered the city, having taken the leadership not by any decree, but because it had been the cause of the naval battle at Salamis. For when the generals were at a loss in the situation and had made a proclamation for each to save himself, the Council, having provided eight drachmas to each man, distributed them and got them on board the ships. For this very reason, they yielded to its prestige, and the Athenians were governed well during these times. For it happened to them around this time both to practice for war and to gain a high reputation among the Greeks, and to take the leadership of the sea against the will of the Lacedaemonians. The leaders of the people during these times were Aristides, the son of Lysimachus, and Themistocles, the son of Neocles, the one seeming to practice military affairs, and the other being skilled in political matters and excelling his contemporaries in justice; wherefore they employed the one as general, and the other as counselor. Now, they administered the rebuilding of the walls in common, although they differed with each other; but as to the secession of the Ionians from the alliance of the Lacedaemonians, it was Aristides who encouraged them, having watched for the Lacedaemonians to be discredited because of Pausanias. Wherefore he was also the one who assessed the first tributes on the cities in the third year after the naval battle at Salamis, in the archonship of Timosthenes; and he swore the oaths to the Ionians, so that they should have the same enemy and friend, in confirmation of which they also let the iron lumps sink into the sea.

​XXIV. After this, when the city was now confident and much wealth had been accumulated, he advised them to lay hold of the leadership and, coming down from the countryside, to dwell in the city; for there would be maintenance for all, for some while on military service, for others as guards, and for others performing public duties, and that they would thus hold onto the leadership. Having been persuaded of these things and having taken the empire, they treated the allies more dictatorially, except for the Chians, Lesbians, and Samians; these they kept as guardians of the empire, allowing them to keep their constitutions and to rule over whatever they happened to be ruling. And they also established an abundance of maintenance for the multitude, just as Aristides had introduced. For it resulted that more than twenty thousand men were maintained from the tributes, the taxes, and the allies. For there were six thousand judges, sixteen hundred archers, and in addition to these, twelve hundred cavalrymen, a Council of five hundred, five hundred guards of the dockyards, and in addition to these, fifty guards in the city; and domestic offices up to seven hundred men, and foreign ones up to seven hundred; and in addition to these, when they later organized the war, twenty-five hundred hoplites, twenty guard-ships, and other ships which brought the tributes carrying two thousand men selected by lot, and furthermore the prytaneum, orphans, and keepers of prisoners; for the administration for all of these was from the public funds.

​XXV. In this way, then, the maintenance for the people was provided. For about seventeen years after the Persian Wars, the constitution remained under the leadership of the Areopagites, although it was gradually declining. But as the multitude increased, Ephialtes, the son of Sophonides, having become the leader of the people, who was thought to be both incorruptible and just towards the constitution, attacked the Council. And first, he removed many of the Areopagites, bringing them to trial concerning their administration; then, in the archonship of Conon, he stripped the Council of all the added powers through which the guardianship of the constitution existed, and restored some of them to the five hundred, and others to the people and the courts. And he did these things with the cooperation of Themistocles, who was one of the Areopagites, but was about to be tried for Medism. And Themistocles, wishing the Council to be dissolved, told Ephialtes that the Council was about to arrest him, and to the Areopagites that he would point out certain persons conspiring for the dissolution of the constitution. And leading the chosen members of the Council to where Ephialtes was staying, as if to show them those who were gathering, he conversed with them in earnest. And Ephialtes, when he saw this, was terrified and sat on the altar clad only in his tunic. When everyone wondered at what had happened, and after this the Council of five hundred had assembled, both Ephialtes and Themistocles accused the Areopagites, and again in the same manner before the people, until they stripped them of their power. And... And Ephialtes was also assassinated not long after, being murdered by Aristodicus of Tanagra.