Ancient Athens
Democracy's birth place is in Ancient Athens. Citizens would gather together on a hill called the Pynx. Here they would decide the city’s laws and who should sit on its ruling council. This was ‘democracy’ or ‘rule by the people’.
demos = people and kratos = power. CLICK ON THE MAP to watch a video about Athenian Democracy (Learn Alberta) CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW to take a Virtual Tour of Ancient Athens |
Social Structure of Ancient Athens
Structure of Government in Ancient Athens
There were 3 main political bodies in Ancient Athens:
Assembly (Ecclesia)Members of the Assembly were NOT elected. Any male citizen over the age of 18 could take part in the assembly and was seen as a duty to do so.
The Assembly met monthly at dawn on the Pynx hill. Duties:
The Boule (Council of 500)Selection of the Boule was done by a yearly lottery (lot) held among the male citizens who were over 30 years of age. Members could serve on the Boule twice in a lifetime.
All 500 members of the Boule met daily (except on festival days) in the bouleterian (council house) at the Agora. Duties:
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The Courts (Areopagus)An important legal institution under Athenian democracy with jurisdiction over serious criminal cases (homicide, treason, arson).
The Council of Areopagus consisted of 9 judges and hundreds of jurors Duties:
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Web-quests and Online LearningCLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW to complete a webquest on Ancient Athens (BBC Bitesize)
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Online Greek GamesCLICK HERE to play in the Greek Olympics - "Go for the Gold" - A game that introduces and builds language using Greek roots.
CLICK HERE to find out which mythological figure you are - based on your answers to survey questions.
CLICK HERE to build a temple for Athena!
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