Theme 2: Invention of the citizenship in the ancient world Chapter 1: Citizenship and democracy in Athens (5 th 4 th BC) 1. Unfinished Temple of Zeus 2. Unfinished law courts 3. Painted Stoa 5. Altart of the Twelve Gods 6. Stoa of Zeus with his statue 7. Temple of Hephaestus (Theseion) 8. Bouleyterion 10. Tholos 11. Strategeion 13. Heliaia law courts 14. South Stoa 15. Southeast Fountain House 17. Panathenaic festival procession 18. Pnyx 19. Areopagus 20. Temple of Athena Nike 21. Propylaia 22. Statue of Athena Promachos 23. Erectheum 24. Parthenon 25. Royal Stoa
Greek cities & colonies circa 550 BC
I - Greece and Athens 1.1. The city states or polis In the 5th century BC, Greece consisted of various city states as Athens, Sparta, Corinth They were all independent from each other because of the mountains. Athens is the most important one, it has the leadership over a large part of Greece, such as Crete and Thrace for example. Each of them had its own government, laws and army, and this is why they were called city states or polis. Nevertheless, all of them belonged to the same civilization, since they shared a common language, religion and culture.
1.2.Athens, a powerful city state The two main city-states in Greece were Sparta and Athens. The greatest of these was Athens. Which were the strengths of Athens in the 5th century? Read the documents and answer the question. In the 5th century, Athens was a very rich and powerful city in the Mediterranean because of geographical and economical factors. a) The climate is mild so that the agriculture is very good. The sea is also very productive and underneath the ground you can find silver and all around stones needed to build temples and houses. b) Athens has a safe accommodation for ships so that the trade is very important with a lot of merchants coming from other cities.
II Athens: citizens and non-citizens 2.1. A democratic polis There were different ways to rule the city states: - monarchy - oligarchy - aristocray - tyranny - democracy Which were the differences between them? Look at the cartoons and answer the question. Democracy is achieved in several stages, through reforms linked with Solon in 594, Cleisthenes in 508, and Pericles in 462.
Pericles reforms (462 B.C.) Pericles ( 495 429 BC) was a prominent and influential statesman and orator. Pericles had such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, his contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens". Pericles promoted the arts and literature. He started an ambitious project that built most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis (including the Parthenon). This project beautified the city and exhibited its glory. Furthermore, Pericles fostered Athenian democracy to such an extent that critics call him a Populist.
2.2. The citizens, their rights and duties Athenian citizens could participate in politics and had full rights. The citizen democrats of Athens are some males, over eighteen years old, who are sons of an Athenian father (after 451 BC the mother must be Athenian as well). They have done military service ( éphébie ). They number no more than 50,000 in the whole of Attica. Find out in your textbook which the rights und duties of the citizens were. They were allowed to: - vote -be elected -inherit Rights -pass on their property They were protected by law. Duties They had to: -do their military service -participate in the meetings of the Assembly -do their work if they were elected. They couldn t refuse. If they were rich, they had to spend money to build new monuments in the city.
2.3. The non-citizens But most of the people were non-citizens. They could not participate in politics, even if their situations were very varied. Foreigners, called metics (who were about 25,000), were for example free. Most of them were engaged in trade and craftsmanship. They paid taxes and formed part of the army. Slaves were not free, but the property of a family. They were usually prisoners of war (about 100,000 slaves). Children and women could be free or slaves, but they had no rights. Athens population citizens and non-citizens - gives a total of about 300,000 people. So the citizens form at most 20% of the population. Do you think the Athenian society was an equal one? Justify your answer. No, it wasn t, because women were excluded, so were the slaves and the foreigners. Therefore, the Athenian society was an unequal one.
III Organisation of Athenian democracy 3.1. How was it organised? There were four main institutions in Athens: The Assembly or Ekklesia. The Athenian citizens gathered four times a month on the Pnyx and passed laws, decided on war and peace, and elected The magistrates. They voted by a show of hands and could ostracise people. It has the legislative power. The boule was the council of 500 citizens, chosen by lot, which decided what was to be discussed at the Ecclesia, controled the Treasury and watched over the magistrates. It has the legislative power. The magistrates had to carry out the laws and the decisions made by the Assembly. Among them were the ten strategoi, who headed the army and navy, and the nine archons, who presided over the courts and religious rites. It has the executive power. The court of justice known as heliaea was formed by 6,000 citizens selected by lot. It has the judicial power. There is a direct democracy when A representative democracy is a democracy. Isonomia means that.
3.2. Where did it take place?
Life in the city was organized around two main centres: the agora and the acropolis. The agora was a big public square and the marketplace, where the Athenians gathered to have a walk and chat. The craftsmen and merchants quarter was located around it. The acropolis was a walled space in which the temples and some of the main buildings were located. It was situated in a high and walled area.
3.3 Discussion: Compare our democracy today with Athens democracy Athens democracy Our democracy today - All citizens were allowed to play a role in politics. - They took the decisions together at the assembly on the Pnyx. It was a direct democracy. -Representatives were drawn by lot or elected. -All citizens had to do their military service. -Women were excluded from politics. -Men could participate in the assemblies because most of them had slaves to do their work at home. -Legislative, executive and judicial powers were separated. - If you think France is better... France today is a representative democracy, where we vote for people to make decisions for us. But.. Women could not vote until 1944. Eighteen year olds could not vote until 1974.
IV Democracy under debate Athenian democracy had many critics. were almost invariably from an elite background.. Pericles fostered Athenian democracy to such an extent that critics called him a Populist. Explain why. A demagogue (/ˈdɛməɡɒɡ/) or rabble-rouser /ræb(ə)l raʊzə(r)/ is a political leader in a democracy who appeals to the emotions, prejudices, and ignorance of the poorer and less-educated classes in order to gain power.. Demagogues have appeared in democracies since ancient Athens. (Wikipedia)