PERICLES- ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY (1) Flashcards
Where does the word democracy come from?
demos- people
kratos- power
What is a polis
A city state, esp. as a political entity, comprising the city’s buildings and land, as well as the citizens themselves
What is Attica
The region comprising Athens and its surrounding countryside/villages
What is an archon
1 of 9 senior magistrates responsible for key areas of Athenian government annually
Who was elected archon in 594/593
Solon
What did Solon do in his year of archonship?
Divided citizens into 4 classes based on wealth
What was the richest class?
Pentakosiomedimnoi
What was the second richest class?
Hippeis
What was the third richest class?
Zeugitai
What was the poorest class?
Thetes
What was the assembly
A formal meeting of the people open to any citizen
What was the council of the Areopagus
an aristocratic council of ex-archons
What was a tyrant?
A sole rule of a greek city who had taken power unconstitutionally
When was Cleisthenes in control of Athens?
508/507
How many of the Athenian residents were citizens (given citizenship was not provided to women, non-Athenians or slaves)?
15%, between 30,000 and 60,000 out of 300,000
What did Cleisthenes do?
Divided the citizens of Athens into 10 tribes (as opposed to the previous 4)
What was a deme?
a village or district of the town of Athens which formed a single political unit
What council did cleisthenes introduce?
The boule
How many men made up the boule?
500, 50 from each tribe
What did Cleisthenes allegedly also introduce?
Ostracisms
When did the first ostracism take place?
488/487
How was the Athenian army built?
10 tribes made up the 10 regiments of the army- 10 generals, one from each tribe were asked to help lead the war effort, known as strategoi (sg. strategos)
When did the Athenians stop electing archons, and instead choose them by lot?
487/486
What did Ephialtes do?
deprived the Areopagus of all its duties, except for jurisdiction over murder and certain offences against the gods.
For how many years in a row was Pericles elected general?
15, from 443 to 429
When did zeugitai become eligible for archonships?
457/456
What was a metic?
non-citizens who worked in Athens, usually Greek
What was an ephebe?
young Athenian man who is preparing for citizenship
How did Pericles establish his political position?
adopting populist policies, like introducing land handouts, money for festivals, fees for jury service and financial handouts
What was an ostracism
annual vote to banish a citizen of athens for a period of 10 years
how would an ostracism be done?
each voter took an ostrakon (broken piece of pottery) and wrote the name of the person he wanted to ostracise on it. The votes were counted, and there had to be at least 6000 votes cast to make it valid
Who was the first to be ostracised
Cimon
Why was Cimon ostracised?
for his embarrassing campaign in Sparta in 461 BC
What was the Boule?
A council which supported the government and advised the assembly
How did the Boule work?
50 councillors were selected in each tribe every year, and citizens could only serve twice in the council in their lifetime, preventing a single individual from gaining too much power or influence
What was sortition?
The principle of selection by lot
When did the boule meet?
Every day except public holidays
What was a prytany?
one of ten administrative periods within the Athenian year, each lasting 35 or 36 days
What was the total number of magistrates alongside the 500 Boule?
About 700 magistrates
How were most magistrates selected to serve on boards?
By lot
What was the age requirement for Archontes?
Aged 30+
What tasks were Archontes in charge of?
Tasks such as cleaning, markets, legal punishments
What process was used to scrutinize magistrates’ performance?
Dokimasia
What position could Archontes hold after their term?
The Council of the Areopagus
What area were Strategoi responsible for?
The military
How many Strategoi were there in total?
One person per tribe (10 in total)
How were Strategoi chosen?
Elected each year
What notable event involved Pericles as a Strategos?
Pericles held the position for 15 years, despite a dismissal and fine in 430
