Democracy in Action
Hey! That’s the
Parthenon!
Tyrants
• Solon
– Reformed Draconian Laws
• Pisistratus
– Champion of the Poor
• Cleisthenes
– Established the first true
democracy
• Pericles
– Ruled during the Golden Age
of Athens
Agora
• Large open space in the middle of the city-state that
contained a marketplace as well as government buildings
• Citizens mingled and discussed the issues of the day before
gathering for the assembly meeting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEIn3T6nDAo
Voting
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Only citizens of Athens could debate important laws
Pynx = the assembly meeting place
About 1 out of 5 Athenians were citizens
Direct democracy; voted with their hands
3 Main Branches:
But…How can I
– The Assembly
– The Council of 500
– The Courts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCkV1DFfYG0
vote? I don’t
have any arms.
Red Paint
• All citizens were required to participate in Athen’s
democracy, but sometimes there weren’t enough people
present at assembly meetings
• A red painted rope would be used to corral citizens from
the Agora into the Pynx
• If you had red paint on your shirt, you would have to pay a
fine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL4B-YZuJR4
Ostracism
• Ostracism literally means “judgment by shards”
• Citizens would vote for the person they wanted exiled from
Athens for 10 years by writing a name on a pottery shard
• A quorum, or a minimum number, of 6,000 citizens
required
• Usually for people who were too personally powerful, or
who threatened influential people
Who’s getting
voted off the
island?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxYxyfE4onc
Kleroterion
• Device used for randomly selecting members to the
jury in Athens
• A small bronze plate used to identify the citizen was
placed into each slot
• Dice were rolled to decide the row chosen to serve on
the jury for that day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc3Um-BBhpI