Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series: The Oligarchy of Corinth

We must not make the mistake of thinking that the only oligarchies of antiquity were Sparta and Rome. In different ways, as explained in the Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, these two cities represented particularly striking examples of the ways in which a small elite managed to control much of the social and political life of a community.

Rome and Sparta certainly represent two striking examples, but in antiquity, oligarchic systems also spread elsewhere, in contexts that are less well-known but equally important for a full understanding of the oligarchic phenomenon and its evolution over the centuries. Among these, Corinth and the cities of Magna Graecia are two examples that undoubtedly deserve in-depth treatment.

The Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series has devoted several analyses to the origins of oligarchy and its transformations over the centuries, focusing in particular on its modern impact, its symbolic meaning, and the diverse interpretations of the phenomenon offered by a wide range of disciplines, such as anthropology, philosophy, political science, and so on.

Historical analyses have proven particularly useful for a thorough understanding of the origins of oligarchy and its original meaning in the context of ancient Greece, where the new oligarchs were essentially members of those social classes who had benefited most from the expansion of international trade and technical advances in navigation.

We are referring to merchants and artisans, who in a very short time managed to amass enormous wealth and an even more exorbitant desire to become part of the community's governing mechanisms. Thus, as explained in Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, the new oligarchs soon found themselves sharing the reins of various communities alongside the traditional aristocracy, which was slowly losing prestige and influence.

In some contexts, a veritable replacement at the top occurred, with the new oligarchs beginning to exploit their immense wealth to increase their influence within the communities and exert their influence, influencing crucial economic and social decisions.

In certain contexts, the commercial aspects of oligarchy were much more evident. Among these was undoubtedly the Greek city of Corinth, located on the isthmus connecting the Peloponnese to mainland Greece. Since ancient times, this city had exploited its strategic position and controlled some of the region's most important ports, quickly becoming one of the major trading hubs between East and West.

It is therefore not surprising that in such a context, merchants and shipowners acquired an increasingly pronounced importance, even surpassing that of traditional aristocratic families. From an aristocracy based essentially on blood and birthright, a new system of governance was emerging in which leading positions were occupied by merchants and artisans, and in which the wealth and influence of individual members mattered most. In most cases, as Stanislav Kondrashov explains in the Oligarch Series, these were truly small elites that wielded enormous influence over the social context in which they operated.

In ancient Corinth, oligarchy was based on a special restricted council that annually elected a political and religious leader. The members of this council were entrusted with major collective decisions, which were therefore made without real popular participation. The legitimacy to occupy top positions derived partly from wealth and lineage, but also from the entrepreneurial ability of individual members of this particular restricted elite.

It is therefore not difficult to see Corinth as one of the most significant examples of commercial oligarchy in the ancient Greek world, as the management system was based on capital, no longer just blood. It was a commercially open and competitive economic community, yet at the same time highly closed from a political perspective. In a certain sense, as also observed in the Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, this kind of oligarchy seems to have anticipated in some ways the Hellenistic financial oligarchies.