Athens: the Birth of Democracy 1

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Athens: the Birth of Democracy

In the beginning Athens was a typical polis inhabited by the Ionians. It
placed in a certain peninsula part of the Balkan, called Attica. This polis
later becomes the birthplace of democracy.

Topography

Athens as I mentioned above is placed on a peninsula called Attica. The polis was
built around the rocky, fortified hill of the Acropolis. The city wall was very strong
so it could not be invaded by the Dorians. They also had constructed their own
port for ships which was in Piraeus. Athens did not participate in colonisation, did
not make foreign colonies, but still joined in the market of the Mediterranean Sea.

Source: http://bama.ua.edu/~ksummers/cl222/athens/map-
ancient-athens.jpg
Demography

In Athens like in the other polises there were social classes. On the top of the
community there were the aristocrats. Not everyone could have been an
aristocrat, just whose parents were also aristocrats. Under them was the middle
class, the demos. They were merchants, traders, small landowners but they had
to be citizens (their parents had to be Athenian too). Under them were the
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debtors, who were citizens, but without land, and the metics, who were
merchants or artisans, but were not citizens. The debtors and the metics had not
got own property. And the last class was the class of the slaves. They were
regarded as property, but their owners could not treat them brutally.

Citizenship, right to vote

Only citizens had the right to vote, who were the aristocrats and the demos
(women could have citizenship, but they could not vote) so it was a birthright of
Athenians. Those were full-right citizens whose both parents were Athenians.
Those whose just one parent was Athenian could be citizen by decree. Debt
slaves, metics, and the slaves had no chance of being citizen, it follows they had
not got any political power, they had not got the right to vote.

The struggle for political right and full-right citizenship

The majority of the Athenians were part of the demos, but they hadnt got too
much influence in politics, although certain part of them was rising to economical
power. The small landowners were not so fortunate, because they were getting
poorer and poorer, and loosing their economical power. The demos divided into
two parts.

The government was in the hands of aristocrats. In Athens there was aristocratic
republic. Those citizens who had a certain amount of land could vote for an
aristocrat to be an archon. Archons had the right to govern the polis for a one
year period, and then they become ex-archons, and went to the areiospagos and
arranged the peoples law cases. In this time there were no written laws, so the
judgement was not always fair.

Assembly had not got such a big role in political decisions, because they could
not do more than simply talk about the actual political problems.

In the VII-VIII century BC there was a change in the structure of the army
(although they had no standing army). Because maintaining the cavalry was very
expensive, and just the aristocrats could afford to maintain it, hoplites have
appeared. They were the heavy infantry. The navy also appeared in this period.
After these changes more members of the demos could be part of the army, so
they become stronger and the protection of the polis became better, too.

Stages toward democracy

DRACO

He was an archon in 621 BC.

The first step toward democracy was his codification of laws, and his
constitutions which were severe, strict but clear (death penalty for every crime).
Draconian law
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SOLON

594-3 BC

As the second step he gave the right to vote for everyone who was in the
appropriate class by his annual income. He divided the society into four classes,
and the first three had the right to vote. He helped the debt slaves by freeing
them, and cancelling all debts, so he abolished debt slavery. Citizens could lose
their citizenship if they had not taken sides in political debates. He created the
Council of 400 (Boule), the Court of Appeal, the Peoples Court (Heliaia) and the
Popular Assembly (Ecclesia). The political structure was totally changed by Solon:
Council of 400 Ex-
Military leaders
Boule Archons archons
Strategoi
400 elected 9 elected Areiospag
10 elected
members members os
people

Peoples Court
Heliaia Popular Assembly STATE
6000 members Ecclesia

SOCIETY
>300
>500 measur >200 <200
measur ers measur measure
metics
ers or 1 ers rs
citizens, men, over 20 years
horse

slaves
women, children=family

PEISISTRATUS

560-527 BC

He made tyranny (dictationship) in Athens (560-510 BC). He managed to keep his

archon position for more than one year. He became a tyrant although it was the
gold age of culture in Athens. He introduced new festivals, built temples and in
this period Athens got more involved in the treading of the Mediterranean Sea.

CLEISTHENES
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508 BC

As the fourth step he divided citizens into 10 districts. Each district had three
parts: city, coast and countryside. Every district elected fifty people (over thirty
years) to the Council and one strategoi. All male citizens over twenty years
become members of the Assembly. The council took over many of the powers
and duties the archons formerly held.

Council
Peoples Boule Ex-
Court Strategoi Archons
500 archons
Heliaia 10 elected 9 elected
by lot members Areiospag
member members
by lot os

Popular Exile for 10

Assembly years
Ecclesia by ostracism STATE
over 20 years (6000 votes)

tax SOCIETY

citizens slaves
metics