2020/2021

DEMOCRACY
IN ATHENS (I)
HISTORY 9

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD
ABOUT DEMOCRACY IN
ATHENS?

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 1 What is Athens?

2 An aristocratic republic

Today's topics
3 The Solonian Constitution (594 BC)

4 The tyranny of Peisistratus

5 Important political terms

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 1._WHAT IS ATHENS?
Athens is a Greek polis on the Attican
peninsula. The polis itself was
fortified by walls.

The society in Athens was comprised of

Athenian citizens with rights
(aristocracy) and without rights
(demos).

Around Athens lived the metics (metoikoi),

who were immigrants or the descendants of
immigrants. They had to pay heavy taxes
and could not own land.

Athens also had slavery: both chattel

slavery and debt slavery.

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 DRACO'S LAW (621 BC)
In 621 BC, the Athenian lawgiver Draco collected
laws into a written code, the Code of Draco.

The Code of Draco was extremely strict (Draconian) and

made a difference between the aristocrats and the demos.

"And Draco himself, they say, being asked why he

made death the penalty for most offences, replied
that in his opinion the lesser ones deserved it,
and for the greater ones no heavier penalty could
be found." - Plato

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 WHY IS THE CODE OF
DRACO AN IMPORTANT
STEP TOWARDS A MORE
EQUAL SOCIETY?

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 THE RULE OF LAW
The rule of law means that all members of a country/society
are subject to the same set of laws.

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 2. AN ARISTOCRATIC REPUBLIC
Originally, Athens was a kingdom ruled by
the basileus (king). However, later the rich
aristocrats took the power from the king and
created a "republic" with many institutions.

Political positions could only be held by

aristocrats.

Archons were the elected leaders of the

city, who were electable only once for a
year. In classical times, there were 9
archons sharing the power.

The Council of the Areopagus was a judi-

cial council of ex-archons. Their role
was to make decisions in trials and to
supervise the work of archons.

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

3. THE SOLONIAN CONSTITUTION (594 BC)
In 594 BC, an archon named Solon created a completely new
system of politics in Athens.

POLITICAL RIGHTS
Solon created a timocratic system. Now, political rights were
not based on birthright, but on the amount of income one had.
He created 4 different social classes based on income.

NEW INSTITUTIONS
1. Solon created the Boule (Council of 400) to run the daily
affairs of the city.
2. Also, the ekklesia (assembly) was created as a platform for
people with rights to discuss and vote on issues.

POLITICAL POSITIONS
To make people's chances to hold important positions, archons
and members of the Boule were selected by lot (sortition).

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 ARISTOTLE: THE ATHENIAN
CONSTITUTION
He divided the population according to property into four classes,
just as it had been divided before, namely, Pentacosiomedimni,
Knights, Zeugitae, and Thetes. The various offices, namely, the nine
Archons, the Treasurers, Clerks (Colacretae), he assigned to the
Pentacosiomedimni, the Knights, and the Zeugitae, giving offices to
each class in proportion to the value of their rateable property. To
who ranked among the Thetes he gave nothing but a place in the
Assembly and in the juries. A man had to rank as a Pentacosiomedimnus
if he made from his own land, five hundred measures, whether liquid
or solid. Those ranked as Knights who made three hundred measures,
or, as some say, those who were able to maintain a horse.

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS

 4. THE TYRANNY OF PEISISTRATUS

Between 560 and 527 BC, Peisistratus

started a coup d'état and started to
rule as a tyrant.

(Tyranny = the unconstitutional rule

of one person; tyrant = the ruler of a
tyranny)

Peisistratus was a populist leader:

he tried to get wide support from the
poorest layers of society. He
promised land and taxation reform for
the demos. His large construction
projects also benefitted the members
of the demos.
THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS
 5. IMPORTANT POLITICAL TERMS

REPUBLIC VS DEMOCRACY
A republic is a form of state where the state is in the hand of the
people and not a king/family. A democracy is an ideology of sharing
power - one with a "rule of the many" ideology.

MONARCHY VS TYRANNY
A monarchy is the "rule of one" (king) where the power is inherited
and the king is accepted as a ruler. A tyranny is an illegal rule of
one done through a coup.

OLIGARCHY VS DEMOCRACY
An oligarchy is any system with "rule of the few" (e.g. aristocracy),
while a democracy is a system with "rule of the many".

THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT HELLAS