ISONOMIA: EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW, EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF ALL CITIZENS IN MAKING, ADMINISTERING, AND ENFORCING THE LAW ISEGORIA: 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 Art and Archeology Sites Inscriptions Ancient Remains Pnyx Areopagus • Ostraka

• Vase Painting of Voting c490BCE Prison in Syracuse

• Decree of Athenian • Fourth • Boule • Century • Ballots and Ballot Box

The city of Athens lived under a radically The system evolved over time, suffered two democratic government from 508 until 322 complete breakdowns in the 5th century, and BCE…government of Athens, and democratic is certainly open to criticism at many points institutions survived long after the latter date, during its history. Nevertheless, it was but for those 186 years the city of Athens was coherent enough during those two centuries self-consciously and decidedly democratic, that we can describe it, in general terms, autonomous, aggressive, and prosperous…., without being too far wrong on any point. the People governed themselves, debating And despite its moments of imprudence, and voting individually on issues great and injustice, and indecision, it was an experiment small, from matters of war and peace to the remarkable enough to deserve our proper qualifications for ferry-boat captains attention…. (for the latter, understood the value of checks In the 4th century BCE the and balances and of enforcing time for reflection before acting…. They understood democracy was most fully that professionalism is necessary in certain developed ..and the majority of jobs, that accountability was necessary of our evidence either comes from most jobs, and that some jobs required absolute job-security. 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