ISONOMIA: ISEGORIA: EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW, EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF ALL CITIZENS IN MAKING, ADMINISTERING, AND ENFORCING THE LAW EQUAL RIGHTS TO SPEAK IN ASSEMBLY
Demos: The entire citizen community, united by history, geography, religion, family, language, traditions, Includes both many and few though Old Oligarch and others also refer to division into rich and poor, better and worse, wretched and good implying moral and aesthetic as well as economic status. Most citizens were small farmers before the Persian Wars. Their households included women, children, and a few slaves.
Sources: Major Contemporary Historians Hellenica, Memories of Socrates. Histories (Persian Wars) Peloponnesian Wars etc., 484 484 c. 425 BCE 460 c. 400 BC c430-350 BCE c430-350 BCE
Other Sources Drama,Philosophy, and Oratory Tragedy and Comedy Aeschylus, Sophocles. Euripides, Aristophanes Pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle Lysias, Antiphon, Isocrates, Demosthenes
Sites Pnyx Art and Archeology Inscriptions Areopagus Ostraka Ancient Remains Prison in Syracuse Vase Painting of Voting c490bce Decree of Athenian Boule Fourth Century Ballots and Ballot Box
The city of Athens lived under a radically democratic government from 508 until 322 BCE government of Athens, and democratic institutions survived long after the latter date, but for those 186 years the city of Athens was self-consciously and decidedly democratic, autonomous, aggressive, and prosperous., the People governed themselves, debating and voting individually on issues great and small, from matters of war and peace to the proper qualifications for ferry-boat captains (for the latter, understood the value of checks and balances and of enforcing time for reflection before acting. They understood that professionalism is necessary in certain jobs, that accountability was necessary of most jobs, and that some jobs required absolute job-security. The system evolved over time, suffered two complete breakdowns in the 5th century, and is certainly open to criticism at many points during its history. Nevertheless, it was coherent enough during those two centuries that we can describe it, in general terms, without being too far wrong on any point. And despite its moments of imprudence, injustice, and indecision, it was an experiment remarkable enough to deserve our attention. In the 4th century BCE the democracy was most fully developed..and the majority of our evidence either comes from that period, or describes the Athenian government during that period. Athens also manage to partly restore its empire empire and organize the fight against Philip.
Early Development
Early Development: Oligarchy, Tyrant, Crisis Cylon c.632 bce (Thu. 1.126.2-10 ) Draco s Code. 621bce From the old system of oral law and blood feud, made first written laws. Draco s harsh code would later become known as draconian. Being found guilty of breaking would end in either perpetual slavery for debtors, or death for other legal offenders. Plutarch states: When asked why he had fixed the punishment of death for most offences, answered that he considered these lesser crimes to deserve it, and he had no greater punishment for more important ones.
Solon c. 638 c. 558 BCE) One of Seven Sages; Lawmaker, Statesman, Poet Importance No Debt Slavery; Citizens returned A written constitution to supplement and develop the legal code; Law now above magistrates, Regular meetings of an elective and legislative demos (popular assembly) Any citizen given right to appeal conviction by Areopagus or magistrate to demos as Heliaea (popular courts). Any one who wishes, not just victim, may prosecute if he thinks something wrong has been done
C 500 BC He based his division of citizens on residence rather than wealth.
DEMES AND TRITTYS
Pericles, 495-429 BCE Introduced in Thucydides, 1.39.4 As the first man in Athens in his time and the most powerful Speaker.
City of Athens