# The Amphictyons — The Federalist Papers character guide

> The Amphictyons in The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** the Amphictyons

**First appearance:** 0011-ix-the-union-as-a-safeguard-against-domestic-faction-and-insurrection

## Who they are

Ancient Greek religious council, cited as an early example of a confederate league.

## Relationships

### [Brutus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/characters/brutus)

_social_

Brutus, an Anti-Federalist writer, cites the Amphictyonic Council as a flawed ancient confederacy to criticize the proposed Constitution.

## In the story

### [IX: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/chapters/ix-the-union-as-a-safeguard-against-domestic-faction-and-insurrection)

Referenced as an example of a confederacy in historical discussion.

### [XVIII: The Same Subject Continued (The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/chapters/xviii-the-same-subject-continued-the-insufficiency-of-the-present-confederation-to-preserve-the-union)

Ancient Greek confederacy whose weaknesses mirror those of the American Confederation.

### [XIX: The Same Subject Continued (The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/chapters/xix-the-same-subject-continued-the-insufficiency-of-the-present-confederation-to-preserve-the-union)

Referenced indirectly through the discussion of ancient confederacies in the previous paper, but not directly in this excerpt.

### [The Same Subject Continued (The Insufficiency of the Present Confederation to Preserve the Union)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/chapters/xx-the-same-subject-continued-the-insufficiency-of-the-present-confederation-to-preserve-the-union)

Referenced as a historical example of a confederacy, though not detailed in this excerpt.

### [XXXVII: Concerning the Difficulties of the Convention in Devising a Proper Form of Government](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/chapters/xxxvii-concerning-the-difficulties-of-the-convention-in-devising-a-proper-form-of-government)

Mentioned as an example of a historical confederacy that failed, serving as a warning for the present undertaking.

### [XLV: The Alleged Danger from the Powers of the Union to the State Governments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/chapters/xlv-the-alleged-danger-from-the-powers-of-the-union-to-the-state-governments)

Referenced in the context of historical confederacies that failed due to local encroachments.

### [LXIII: The Senate Continued](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_federalist_papers_se/chapters/lxiii-the-senate-continued)

Cited as an example of ancient councils with representative elements.

## Links

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