In the 60s of the IV century Lycomedes of Mantinea claims to the Arcadians, encouraging their unity and ethnic awareness, the hegemony of the Peloponnese. In Lycomedes’ project the awareness of their national character has a central role and leads the Arcadians to oppose not only the ancient rival Sparta, hostile to federalism, but also the "liberators" Thebans, characterised by an ancient federal tradition, and to seek rather the support of Athens, at this time the true champion of autonomies. Lycomedes death puts an end to this ambitious project and opens the way to the crisis of the Arcadian federalism, divided between the hegemonic aspirations of Tegea and Mantinea and their conflicting policies, supported by several international supports: the unity desired by Lycomedes is substituted by the staseis between homoethneis. In this case the ethnic awareness fails to result in a unitary policy. This vicissitude enables us to make some reflections on the role of national feeling in the foreign policy of the ethne, offering ideas to re-examine issues such as, for example, the relationship between Theban hegemony and development of federalism, asserted by M. Sordi and questioned by H. Beck .

Negli anni ’60 del IV secolo Licomede di Mantinea rivendica agli Arcadi, incoraggiandone l’unità e la consapevolezza etnica, l’egemonia del Peloponneso. Nel progetto di Licomede la consapevolezza dei propri caratteri nazionali ha un ruolo centrale e induce gli Arcadi a contrapporsi non solo all’antica rivale Sparta, ostile al federalismo, ma anche ai “liberatori” Tebani, di antica tradizione federale, e a cercare piuttosto l’appoggio di Atene, in questo momento vera paladina delle autonomie. La morte di Licomede pone fine a questo ambizioso progetto e apre la strada alla crisi del federalismo arcadico, diviso fra le aspirazioni egemoniche di Tegea e Mantinea e le loro contrastanti politiche, sostenute da diversi appoggi internazionali: all’unità auspicata da Licomede subentrano le staseis fra homoethneis. In questo caso la consapevolezza etnica non riesce a tradursi in una politica unitaria. La vicenda consente alcune riflessioni sul ruolo del sentimento nazionale nella politica estera degli ethne, offrendoci spunti per riesaminare problemi come, per esempio, quello del rapporto fra egemonia tebana e sviluppo del federalismo, asserito da M. Sordi e rimesso in discussione da H. Beck.

Bearzot, C. S., The Foreign Politics of the Arkadian League: from Lykomedes of Mantineia to staseis among homoethneis, in Beck, A., Buraselis, K., Mcauley, A. (ed.), Ethnos and Koinon. Studies in Ancient Greek Ethnicity and Federalism, Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 2019: <<HABES>>, 1 257- 270 [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/136122]

The Foreign Politics of the Arkadian League: from Lykomedes of Mantineia to staseis among homoethneis

Bearzot, Cinzia Susanna
2019

Abstract

In the 60s of the IV century Lycomedes of Mantinea claims to the Arcadians, encouraging their unity and ethnic awareness, the hegemony of the Peloponnese. In Lycomedes’ project the awareness of their national character has a central role and leads the Arcadians to oppose not only the ancient rival Sparta, hostile to federalism, but also the "liberators" Thebans, characterised by an ancient federal tradition, and to seek rather the support of Athens, at this time the true champion of autonomies. Lycomedes death puts an end to this ambitious project and opens the way to the crisis of the Arcadian federalism, divided between the hegemonic aspirations of Tegea and Mantinea and their conflicting policies, supported by several international supports: the unity desired by Lycomedes is substituted by the staseis between homoethneis. In this case the ethnic awareness fails to result in a unitary policy. This vicissitude enables us to make some reflections on the role of national feeling in the foreign policy of the ethne, offering ideas to re-examine issues such as, for example, the relationship between Theban hegemony and development of federalism, asserted by M. Sordi and questioned by H. Beck .
2019
Inglese
Ethnos and Koinon. Studies in Ancient Greek Ethnicity and Federalism
9783515122177
Franz Steiner
1
Bearzot, C. S., The Foreign Politics of the Arkadian League: from Lykomedes of Mantineia to staseis among homoethneis, in Beck, A., Buraselis, K., Mcauley, A. (ed.), Ethnos and Koinon. Studies in Ancient Greek Ethnicity and Federalism, Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 2019: <<HABES>>, 1 257- 270 [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/136122]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10807/136122
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