Athenian Democracy

Грачева А.Д.

The political system of democratic Athens in the 5th century BCE

Athenian democracy developed gradually. Solon’s reforms of 594/593 BCE prepared later changes, but its formation is usually associated with Cleisthenes in 508/507. Themistocles, Ephialtes and Pericles played important roles in the fifth century. Democratic government was interrupted by coups in 411 and 404; after restoration in 403 it continued until Macedonian intervention in 322 BCE.

This was direct democracy: citizens participated in the assembly, council, courts and magistracies. Most offices were allocated by lot, while generals and some other officials were elected by vote. Institutions from different centuries should not be presented as a single unchanging scheme.

Political rights belonged to adult male citizens. Women from citizen families mattered for the transmission of civic status but did not participate in the assembly or courts. Metics and enslaved people likewise lacked these political rights. The exact proportions of citizens, metics and slaves are unknown: a ratio of 1:3 is not an established census result.

Solon ended the enslavement of citizens for debt and linked access to office with property classes. Cleisthenes created ten territorial tribes and the Council of Five Hundred. Themistocles’ naval programme increased the importance of poorer citizen rowers; Ephialtes’ reforms curtailed the political powers of the Areopagus.

Pericles, who died in 429 BCE, is associated with jury pay, the building programme and the flourishing of Classical Athens. Democracy within the polis nevertheless coexisted with Athenian domination of allies and the exploitation of unfree people.

Athenian Agora,6th century BC Athens

Dionysus Theatre,5th century BC Athens

The Pnyx hill, Athens. The site was used for the Athenian assembly; the visible archaeological phases developed over time.

Legislative Power

1. Ecclesia (Greek: ἐκκλησία) or the People's Assembly

Functions:

1) Election of public officials

2) Enactment of laws and resolutions

3) Citizens had the right of legislative initiative and the right to bring a "graphē paranomon" (suit against illegality)

4) Oversight of magistrates' activities

5) Decisions on matters of war and peace

6) Religious matters

7) Granting of civil rights to foreigners, freed slaves, and metics (resident foreigners)

The People's Assembly convened 40 times a year and could also be convened in cases of special necessity.

Location: Pnyx Hill, Dionysus Theatre, or Piraeus.

Participants: adult male citizens; registration in a deme began at eighteen.

2. Boule (Greek: Βουλή) or the Council of Five Hundred. A representative body of democracy that worked on a permanent basis. Functions:

1) Military matters

2) Foreign policy

3) Organization of public works

4) Decision-making on state financing

5) Religious matters

The Council of Five Hundred convened every day except for holidays.

Location: Athenian agora.

Participants: 50 citizens were chosen by lot from each phyle (10 phylai). Representatives from each phyle took turns leading for 35-36 days each.

The Areopagus. the hill of Ares. Athens

Executive power

Administration was divided among boards of magistrates. Generals commanded the army and navy; agoranomoi supervised markets, metronomoi regulated weights and measures, astynomoi oversaw urban order, and sitophylakes supervised the grain trade. Board sizes and duties changed. Generals were elected by vote, while most civic offices were allocated by lot.

The nine archons comprised the eponymous archon, the basileus, the polemarch and six thesmothetai. In the Classical period their duties were chiefly religious and judicial; the polemarch was no longer the main military commander. Selection of archons by lot began in 487/486 BCE.

The Areopagus consisted of former archons. Ephialtes’ reforms of 462/461 BCE transferred many of its supervisory powers to other institutions, but it retained jurisdiction over intentional homicide. Its functions did not disappear entirely.

Judicial power

Popular courts drew on citizens aged at least thirty. An annual pool of six thousand jurors supplied individual panels. Panel size depended on the case: 501 jurors was a common arrangement, not compulsory for every trial.

Litigants normally spoke for themselves, although they could use speeches written by logographers and assistance from supporting speakers. Decisions were reached by vote. Jury pay changed over time; under Cleon it reached three obols per day.