Democracy in ancient Greece, particularly in Athens, was organized as a direct system where citizens actively participated in decision-making, rather than electing representatives.
The Athenian model of democracy was unique for its time, emphasizing direct involvement and civic duty. Greek democracy created at Athens was direct, rather than representative: any adult male citizen over the age of 20 could take part, and it was a duty to do so. This meant that eligible citizens were expected to attend and participate in the Assembly, where laws were debated and decided.
Key Components of Athenian Democracy
Athenian democracy revolved around several core institutions and principles:
- The Assembly (Ekklesia): This was the sovereign body of the democracy.
- Eligible citizens (adult males over 20) could attend and vote.
- Meetings were held frequently, potentially up to 40 times a year.
- Citizens directly debated and voted on laws, foreign policy, war, and other state matters.
- Participation was considered a civic duty.
- The Council of 500 (Boule): This body prepared the agenda for the Assembly and supervised administrative matters.
- Members were chosen annually by lottery.
- It provided a mechanism for a large number of citizens to gain administrative experience.
- The Courts (Dikasteria): Juries of citizens, typically numbering in the hundreds or thousands, heard legal cases.
- Jurors were chosen by lottery from eligible citizens.
- They served as both judge and jury, voting directly on verdicts and sentences.
Selection of Officials
A distinctive feature of Athenian democracy was the method used to select public officials. Unlike modern representative democracies where elections are the primary method, Athens heavily relied on chance.
The officials of the democracy were in part elected by the Assembly and in large part chosen by lottery in a process called sortition.
- Sortition (Lottery): This was used for selecting most administrative and judicial officials. The belief was that this method was more democratic as it gave all citizens an equal chance to serve and prevented powerful individuals from accumulating too much influence. Positions chosen by lottery often included Council members, jurors, and many administrative roles.
- Election: A smaller number of key officials, typically those requiring specialized skills or experience, such as strategoi (generals) or treasurers, were elected by the Assembly.
| Method | Positions Typically Chosen | Principle Behind Use |
|---|---|---|
| Sortition | Council members, Jurors, many administrative roles | Equality, prevents corruption/concentration of power |
| Election | Generals (Strategoi), Treasurers, positions needing expertise | Competence, specific skills required |
Who Could Participate?
As the reference states, any adult male citizen over the age of 20 could take part. However, it's crucial to note that "citizen" was a restricted category in ancient Athens. Women, slaves, and resident foreigners (metics) were excluded from citizenship and thus from participating in the democracy.
In essence, Athenian democracy was a system built on the direct engagement of its limited citizen body, with a unique blend of election and lottery for selecting officials, all underpinned by the idea of civic participation as a fundamental duty.
