The Greeks had always distinguished themselves from the rest of the world. Other nations were referred to as barbarians. Not because they were less than the Greeks, but because they spoke a different form of language. After the Persian invasion two notions were added to the description: those of hostility and superiority. The idea that the Greeks were in fact equal with other people suddenly became indecent. This sudden change in attitude lasted for several centuries until Alexander the Great, who had exploited the idea more than anybody else, realised that the idea was absurd.

The changes in mood were also rapidly noticed by Cleisthenes who exploited it against fellow Athenian aristocrats. Aristotle remarks that the victory at Marathon gave the normal people more political confidence. The power had to be more equally distributed, but traditional habits of thought die not overnight. Most aristocrats would have still acted the same as they had always done, but it is undeniable that the absolute control of the ruling class over the Athenian mind became less as time passed by.

Cleisthenes had devised a political system which made room for this change in Athenian attitude. One of his inventions was called ostracism which allowed the assembly to decide every year to send, if needed, one of its political figures into temporary exile for ten years without loss of property. One of the most noticable events which tell us that an evolution into a democracy had started was that the ten generals came to replace the archons as chief officers of state: desire for elected efficiency overcame principle.

Athens becomes a naval power.

We already saw that Greek nationalism had awakened after Marathon and that they had evolved an idea which placed them above other nations. The superiority was real in at least one field: the military. The battle of Marathon had shown that even a moderately well trained hoplite phalanx could defeat any form or combination of other infantry, archery and even cavalry. Everybody in Hellas had always believed that the Spartan hoplite was the finest soldier in the whole world, but even the Spartans were impressed by the Athenian success.

Almost nobody in Athens believed that the Persian empire would risk another invasion after the horrible defeat at Marathon so Athens focused on Hellas. Boeotia which had gained power at an alarming pace under its leading city Thebes was no longer a problem as it had been defeated during its campaign against Athens in 506. Sparta also did no longer form a problem during the nineties as its preoccupation was with the Peloponesse: Sparta's nemesis Argos formed once again a threat, the helots attempted a revolt and there was a quarrel between her kings.

There was one city left which could form a threat to the Athenian society: the rich commercial island of Aegina. The island was situated 20 miles from the Athenian harbour at Phaleron and formed a serious rival when Athens turned her attention to the sea. A conflict between both cities started in 500 and lasted through the eighties.

In 482 an event took place which would turn Athens into the biggest and strongest naval power in the Mediterranean: an exceptionally rich vein was discovered in the silvermines of Laurium. One side, led by Aristides, demanded that the profits should be distributed among the population of Athens as was seen as normal in those days, but another side which was led by Themistocles had different ideas. He realised that Athens would never be safe unless no enemy would dare to attack it. As an archon he had already fortified the harbour at Pireaus, and later on he would literally fortify Athens against the threat of Spartan jealousy.

However, a mobile army was needed to be able to strike back when Athens would be sieged, and the commercial traderoutes of Athens had to be protected as Athens did not produce enough food and goods to support the population. He argued that the silver should be used for building a fleet of 200 triremes as the conflict with Aegina could not be stopped without an immense fleet. Later on these warships would form the backbone of Greek resistance against the Persian empire, but that was not his concern at that time...