Leading up to Alexander's expansion into Asia, most Greeks were repelled by the Oriental notion of a sun-king, and the divine law that Oriental societies accepted. The story of Croesus of Lydia exemplifies this. įor the historian Herodotus, it was the way of the Orient to be ruled by autocrats and, even though Oriental, the character faults of despots were no more pronounced than the ordinary man's, though given to much greater opportunity for indulgence. Possessing both spirit and intelligence, the Greeks were free to govern all other peoples. He observed that the peoples of cold countries, especially those of Europe, were full of spirit but deficient in skill and intelligence, and that the peoples of Asia, although endowed with skill and intelligence, were deficient in spirit and hence were subjected to slavery. Another difference Aristotle espoused was based on climates. In contrast, among the barbarians, all were slaves by nature. Within ancient Greek society, every Greek man was free and capable of holding office both able to rule and be ruled. Hence, fear could not be said to be its motivating force, but rather the servile nature of those enslaved, which would feed upon the power of the despot master. Aristotle asserted that oriental despotism was not based on force, but on consent. He passed this ideology to his student, Alexander the Great, who conquered the Achaemenid Empire, which at the time was ruled by the despotic Darius III, the last king of the Achaemenid dynasty. Of all the ancient Greeks, Aristotle was perhaps the most influential promoter of the concept of oriental despotism. While despot is closely related to other Greek words like basileus and autokrator, these connotations have also been used to describe a variety of rulers and governments throughout history, such as local chieftains, simple rulers, kings, and emperors.Īncient Greece and oriental despotism In this and other Greek or Greek influenced contexts, the term was used as an honorific rather than as a pejorative.ĭue to its reflexive connotation throughout history, the word despot cannot be objectively defined. It connoted the absolute authority and power exercised by the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, signified nobility in Byzantine courts, designated the rulers of Byzantine vassal states, and acted as a title for Byzantine Emperors. The root despot comes from the Greek word despotes, which means "master" or "one with power." The term has been used to describe many rulers and governments throughout history. 2 Ancient Greece and oriental despotism.
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