ABSTRACT
The seventh century heralded a period of change. Coinage, which had been invented in Croesus’ Lydia, was gradually spreading throughout the Greek world, colonisation was increasing cultural exchanges, Greece was opening up on all sides, and land ownership was no longer the only form of wealth, with huge fortunes being amassed through trade. While small landowners, vulnerable to a bad harvest, were getting into debt and losing their independence, land ownership was becoming concentrated in the hands of an oligarchy whose wealth and power were constantly increasing. The power of the old aristocracy was crumbling. In the military sphere, the hoplite reforms had given the advantage to the infantry as opposed to the cavalry, whose dominance had symbolised the strength of the aristocrats, the only ones able to keep a horse. Calls were made for laws to be published. This was the time of the great legislators (who were often mythical) such as Zaleucus in Locris, Charondas in Catana or Pittacus in Mytilene. ‘Tyrannical’ regimes supported by the people were gradually supplanting the aristocracy.
