Structures of Athenian democracy:
Assembly
Ekklesia- means something called out
Some form before Solon, not with same power
Specific roles under Cleisthenes- scrutinised magistrates, voted on matters put to them by
the boule
Any citizen can attend, met at dawn four times each prytany
Scythian archers used as police force to direct citizens and have order in the assembly
meeting
Vote of confidence of magistrates, could discuss any matters relating to the city, including
laws, corn supply, ostracism, war, peace, foreign policy, tax, finance, public buildings upkeep
Voting done either with show of hands or secret ballot
Act as court of appeal
Magistrates/Archons
Selected from citizen body, most citizens served once in their life, served for a year, could
only be held once
Each board responsible for one specific area of civic life, e.g keeping streets clean,
supervising markets, checking weights, managing state prison
Had to go through a serious of questions from the Boule, Boule voted whether to put them
through
Could only hold a specific magistracy once
The Boule
Every tribe selected 50 councillors by lot, main administrative arm of government and
advisory to the assembly
Prepared motions to be debated in the assembly, oversaw implementations of assembly’s
decisions, managing public property, supervising collection, and expenditure of money,
managing public building works, supervised elections, met foreign dignitaries
Each tribe held presidency for 1 civil month, chosen by lot at end of each civil month
Every morning, one of the prytanis (the 50 councillors) was chosen by lot to be the chairman
of the council for that day- called epistates
Demagogue
Leaders
Opinions are listened to in the assembly
Speaks to the people, persuade them
Juror/Dikasts
6000 per year
Brotherhood of the 3 obols
Areopagus
Selected and supervised archons, acted as a court of law
Made of ex-archons
, Ephialtes 462/1BC
Most court cases are decided by the Heliaia, Areopagus were deprived of jurisdiction over
homicide and sacrilege- more democratic
Solon and Cleisthenes:
Before Solon
Attica is 2500^2km
Herodotus- Histories 5th century BC/ Aristotle- Constitution of Athens late 4 th century BC/
Plutarch- Life of Solon 1st century AD
Main source for period before Solon ‘The Athenian Constitution’ Aristotle? /Pseudo Aristotle
First form of in Athens was monarchy surrounded Theseus
Wealth meant landowners
Areopagus meant on the Areopagus hill (hill of Ares)
Many farmers in poverty
Undisputed power of aristocracy, created a destitute class of citizens (Hektemoroi)
Solon
Athenian poet and law maker
Born aristocratic
Appointed arbitrator in 593/4BC
Considered to be fair and moderate
Worked in business and travelled extensively
Understood emerging mercantile class
Not power hungry
Reforms of Solon
Economic
Aimed to alleviate poverty of farmers, outlawed enslavement of those unable to pay debts,
previously enslaved slaves for same reason were freed and allowed to return to Attica.
Legislated for the cancellation of debts called Seisachtheia and abolishes slavery through
debts. Wanted to encourage trade- standardised weights and measures. Forbade export of
all agricultural products except olive oil to prevent famine. Must have returned some land to
common use and/or private land to rightful owner, remedying the abuses because
Hektamaroi not mentioned after Solon. Prevent famine and keep prices low by limiting
exporting- focus on Attica. Prevents wealthier landowners from oppressing poor neighbours
with legislature on water. Coinage abolished, paid in silver or by swapping goods
Political
Sought to break power of eupatridae. Reorganized class system depending on how many
measures (medimnos) of agriculture they produced. Pentakosiomedimni-hippeis-zeugitai-
thetes. Established that men from all classes had right to attend the assembly
Legal
Placed all new legislation in the agora for everyone to see. Introduced right of appeal to a
jury, all citizens could sit on these juries. Public lawsuits, any citizen can prosecute an offense
even if it’s nothing to do with them
Results
, Unrest in Attica continued
Too radical on both sides
Poor wanted more, rich wanted less
Damasias aimed to instate himself as tyrant
Coastal faction content with reforms
Plain faction did not like reforms- led by aristocrats
Uplands faction wanted more land, led by Peisistratus
Cleisthenes
Scholarly debate surrounding Cleisthenes and his importance in democracy
Born an aristocrat
Part of the Alcmaeonid family (the family who killed the followers of Ceylon who had sort
refuge in a temple)
Herodotus says that they also bribed the oracle of Delphi to tell the Spartans to remove
Peisistratus by building a new temple
Herodotus supports Cleisthenes reforms because he says it makes Athenians more patriotic
and militarily strong
Struggle for power
Engages with Isagoras in 508BC in a competition for power
Isagoras then calls the Spartans in, who exiled over 700 families- including Cleisthenes and
the Archon elect
Reforms of Cleisthenes
Made reforms to get common people on his side
Promised to give them more power
Deme system
Turned villages and small towns and districts of Athens into separate political constituencies-
called Demes
139 in total of Attica, each had their own council, assembly, officers, treasurers, and annually
elected leader called the Demarch
In 508/7 every Athenian had register with their local deme, after that the membership was
hereditary, remained even if they moved to a different part of Attica
Removed regional factions from re-emerging
Ostracism
First recorded in 487BC probably from Peisistratus family, called Hipparchus, but Aristotle
accredits it to Cleisthenes
Intended to stop return of tyranny
Each year the assembly could banish one public figure for 10 years
Was not a punishment, more a ‘cooling off’ period
Tribal system
Fundamental to Athenian society
Separated, coast/inland/city- stopped factionalism
Each tribe provided equal quotas of men to the council of 500, army, boards of officials and
law courts
Elected by lot
50 men selected by lot from each tribe went to the Boule
