Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/110

66 General History of Europe 95. The Greeks never united into a Single Nation. The Greek city-states never united into a single great and powerful nation. This was in part because the country was so cut up by deep bays and divided by mountain ranges that the various towns were somewhat separated from one another ; partly because each of the Greek towns had its own peculiar habits, its dialect, and its own local gods. But in some cases a number of formerly small inde- pendent city-states were brought together and formed such large and important city-states as Athens, Sparta, Argos, and Thebes. In this way the people of a considerable territory regarded themselves as Athenians or Spartans. 96. The Tyrants. The kings began to disappear about 750 B.C., and for a time the government in most Greek cities was under the control of a group of nobles. When the nobles fell out with one another, "tyrants," as the Greeks called them, arose. These were not necessarily tyrants in our sense of the word, but leaders, or "bosses," who managed to get the support of the people and so become kings in all but name. They often helped the people to secure their rights and did much to beautify the cities over which they ruled. Civilization nourished under the tyrants. This is illustrated by the fact that in the early sixth century B.C. Thales of Miletus was the first Greek to predict an eclipse of the sun and to conclude that the planets and stars were governed by natural laws, and not by the whims of the gods. Nevertheless there was a natural prejudice against the tyrants, and it was generally regarded as a heroic act to kill one if he became unpopular. . 97. Influences leading toward Greek Unity. We have already noticed the tendencies which kept the Greek states apart. There were, on the other hand, influences which tended to make them feel that they really formed in a way a single people. Among such in- fluences were the athletic contests. These finally came to be held at stated seasons in honor of the gods. As early as 776 B.C. such contests were celebrated as public festivals at Olympia. 1 1 These Olympic games have been revived in modern times as an international project.