Discussion Forum Unit 1

Let's begin this discussion by taking a moment to introduce yourself to your peers. Tell us
where you are from and why you are interested in Greek and Roman Civilization. Feel free
to add your interests or hobbies.

Next, reflect on the various structures of Athenian democracy & compare them with the
system of government in your own country. You may consider the following aspects:

 Citizenship and franchise

 The procedure to make laws and who had the power to do so
 The power of the Judiciary
 Judicial Review
 Ways of constraining the power of public officials

Discussion forum Unit 1

Hello, Professor and everyone!

My name is Firew, and I'm from Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. I enjoy reading history books and am
curious in world history. Ethiopia has over 3000 years of history and the only African letter
known as Geez or Amharic.

Athens, the birthplace of democracy, was the ancient era's center of culture and art. Athens has
gone through several stages, from democracy to dark times, back to golden eras, and so on. We
will analyze the various structures of Athens during her democratic period in this section. There
were three main powers in Athens' democratic government: the Council of 500 citizens, the
assembly, and the People's Court. These were the three primary pillars. Now I'll contrast the
Athenian political structure with that of Afghanistan. As I was present at the time, I shall
compare Athens' government structure to Afghanistan's past government structure. However, we
must keep in mind that we are comparing the 5th and 21st centuries.

The first feature is citizenship: In a democratic government, citizens are involved in most
political decisions. Citizenship in Athens was confined in the 5th century to free male individuals
of 18 years or older who were born with both Athenian parents and had completed their military
training (Rothchild, 2007). Afghanistan's government was democratic, and every person born in
the country was a citizen. The assembly was the highest power in Athens, and it passed laws
through popular vote. In Afghanistan, any person over the age of 18 may vote for the president,
parliament members, assembly members, and other officials.

Nomothesia was a legal process in Athens. A law could be proposed by any citizen. These laws
were then sent to the council for review, and if approved, they became new laws (Rothchild,
2007). In contrast to Afghanistan, the laws were under the power of the assembly, and the public
had no direct influence. However, there must have been some indirect influence.

In Athens, the judiciary wielded the most influence. This created no problem for the Athenians,
because the courts were regarded of as representing the entire demos and hence could lawfully
exert ultimate power in all domains (Rothchild, 2007). In Afghanistan, the duty of the court was
limited to criminal prosecution and decision-making.

Archons were reviewing judicial courts in Athens. A kleroterion machine was used to pick juries
at random. In Afghanistan, the Supreme Court was given the authority to regulate and review the
legal system.

Ostracism was a method in which the people voted against a government official who violated
the law. The court was also present during the proceedings. However, due to high levels of
corruption in Ethiopia, it was impossible to restrain a government official who was in authority
or had relationships. Government officials who break the law will be removed from office if they
pose a threat to the government's leadership rather than the people.

Reference

Rothchild, J. A. (2007 Rothchild, J. A. (2007). Introduction to Athenian democracy of the

fifth and fourth centuries BCE