But there can be as little question that in practice tne little
Ionic cities and the little Doric cities pretended to no share
in the Amphiktyonic deliberations. As the Ionic vote
came to be substantially the vote of Athens, so, if Sparta
was ever obstructed in the management of the Doric vote,
it must have been by powerful Doric cities like Argos or
Corinth, not by the insignificant towns of Doris. But the
theory of Ampniktyonic suffrage as laid down by -^schinSs,
however little realised in practice during his day, is im-
portant inasmuch as it shows in full evidence the primitive
and original constitution. The first establishment of the
Amphiktyonic convocation dates from a time when all the
twelve members were on a footing of equal independence,
and when there were no overwhelming cities (such as
Sparta and Athens) to cast in the shade the humbler
members — ^when Sparta was only one Doric city, and
Athens only one Ionic city, among various others of
consideration not much inferior.
