The Phoenicians and the Origins of Collective Rule in Archaic Greece

Congratulations to Jacob Vanderkloet, who successfully defended his MA thesis on November 9, 2023. His committee members were Dr. Reyes Bertolin-Cebrian and Dr. Joshua D. Goldstein; Dr. Craig Ginn (Neutral Chair); and Dr. Marica Cassis and Dr. Frances Pownall (co-supervisors).

We asked Jacob to tell us about his thesis and his experience in the department of Classics and Religion.

Tell us about your thesis topic.

The topic I chose for my thesis was a series of political developments that occurred in Greece over the course of the Archaic Period, or the period from around 800 BC to 480. These political developments saw the removal of traditional hereditary monarchs from power throughout mainland Greece in favour of establishing broader, collective systems of rule where power could be more evenly distributed amongst a city’s citizenry. Over the years, these ancient Greek constitutional developments have been much discussed in scholarship and political discourse as they are often seen as the developments that paved the way for modern democracy. For example, Barack Obama for his last trip overseas as president in November of 2016, travelled to Athens and declared that “we’re indebted to Greece for the most precious gifts – the truth, the understanding that as individuals of free will, we have the right and capacity to govern ourselves.”[1] My thesis, however, has taken a somewhat alternative approach to many scholars and political scientists, as I argue that the Greeks and their systems of government were perhaps not as unique or innovative as previously thought. I accomplish this by demonstrating that the Phoenicians were another Mediterranean people in antiquity whose city-states operated under broad-based, collective forms of rule. In fact, my research demonstrates that the Phoenicians began this process of broadening their governments, several centuries before the Greeks appear to have ever done so. From this, I argue that the origins of broad-based non-monarchical forms of government lie, not with the ancient Greeks and the institutions they developed over the course of the Archaic Period, but with the Phoenicians and the governments that existed in their city-states from as far back as the late Bronze Age. Furthermore, I argue that because the Greeks and Phoenicians shared a number of similar institutions, it is quite possible that the Phoenicians in some ways influenced or inspired the Greeks and their political developments over the course of the Archaic Period. By doing so, I advocate that modern researchers should perhaps focus less on the ancient Greeks and more on the Phoenicians when discussing the origins of democracy, or at the very least, they should concede that the history of broad-based governments is far older and more complicated than is generally assumed.

What was the most valuable outcome of the Graduate program for you?

The Graduate program in Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Calgary has provided me with a number of unique opportunities, skills, and experiences. As a graduate student, I was able to receive experience working as a TA, where I marked assignments, presented lectures, and helped teach undergraduate courses in Greek and Roman Studies. As a graduate student, I was also able to develop my skills in researching, writing, and presenting ideas orally. Perhaps the most valuable outcome of the Graduate program for me personally, was that it provided me with the funding to travel to Greece in the summer of 2022, where I was able to attend a seminar at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and earn some important first-hand knowledge and experience of Greece’s ancient material culture.

What are the next steps/plans for you?

After graduating from the University of Calgary with my MA degree, I plan on pursuing a PhD in Classics and continuing my research on ancient historiography. In the long term, I hope to pursue a career in academia and teaching.

[1] Uri Friedman, “Obama Makes the Case for Democracy, in the Land Where It Was Born,” The Atlantic, November 17, 2016. Accessed on May 31st, 2023: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/11/obama-democracy-greece/507890/