Athenian Treasuries

Athenian Treasury at Delphi (utexas.edu)

Currently my research is focusing on how the Athenian government procured funding during the Peloponnesian War. This has important applications to my subject because much of this money came from religious sources. A great deal of money was kept within particular temples and religious sites, and the receipts of many Athenian taxes went directly to these places. During times of crisis Athens could "borrow" money from these temples, and I think normally they repaid these debts.

Thus if a politician wanted to undertake a costly expedition like, say, invading Sicily, he would need to get money from "the gods." Therefore it would be very much in his interest to appear pious. An impious politician is unlikely to get much money out of the temples, since every action was seen by the Athenian people, who would not look kindly on impiety.

Here, as in all the instances I've examined, I see the same force at work - it doesn't matter whether the politician has religious beliefs. He is completely hamstrung by the beliefs and superstitions of the Athenian people, and he can only act with their consent.

But it goes both ways. The politician, hampered by their beliefs, can also use them to his own advantage. He can use their religious superstitions to slander an opponent by accusing him of impiety. He can argue that certain courses of action are impious, or, alternatively, that his proposed course of action is indeed the most pious. The key is the flexibility of Athenian religion - their actions are not always dictated by straightforward divine signs and omens. They must use their brains to interpret what the gods want, which leaves plenty of room for debaters on all sides to argue that their plan must be the one the gods like best.