#cleisthenes

[whitecat2049]

"im about to pull what is called a 'pro gamer move'" - Cleisthenes of Athens in 508 BC

[whencyclopedia]

In 1000 CE, Europeans had a limited but expanding awareness of the wider world, shaped by trade, exploration, and religious contacts. The Vikings had pushed westward, reaching Greenland and Vinland (North America). At the same time, merchants and pilgrims traveled south and east, engaging with the Islamic Caliphates, which connected them to India, Central Asia, and China through trade networks like...

[kleisthenes-offical]

sooo you like democracy but how do you feel about Science

@potasium-offical

I like it.

My favourite element is Neon before you ask

[yourdailyqueer]

Cleisthenes (very deceased)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: Around 431 BC

RIP: N/A

Ethnicity: White - Greek

Occupation: Lawyer, aristocrat, politician possibly

Note: Credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting it on a democratic footing in 508 BC. It was the first known democracy in the world.

[aboutanancientenquiry]

Some thoughts on a meme about the Athenian democracy and Athenian politicians that I have found on the net

Lol. A real tragedy! Some people suffer under the rule of democratic politicians like Cleisthenes and Themistocles and more generally under democratic rule! Give them a Pharaoh (if possible, Senworsret III), a Great King or at least a Greek tyrant!

Now, the truth is that both Cleisthenes and Themistocles were personalities of cardinal importance for ancient Athens, as Herodotus narrates in length in his “Histories”: Cleisthenes was the founder of the Athenian democracy and Themistocles was the founder of the Athenian naval power and the leader who played the major role in saving Athens and more generally Greece from Xerxes’ invasion. But, again as Herodotus shows, although of admirable political and military genius, Themistocles was far from being a flawless person. That’s why later not only he has been chased from power and ostracized by the Athenian people, but he has also been charged at the insistance of the Spartans with accusations of treason of Greece to the Persians. He managed to escape to Persia and he ended his life serving the Great King Artaxerxes I, Xerxes’ son, as advisor and governor of the region of Magnesia in Asia Minor (according to a rather doubtful tradition, he committed suicide to avoid involvement in a new round of Persian hostilities against Greece).

To conclude, beyond the personal tragedy of Themistocles, I think that it is of great historical importance that in the Athenian democracy the people had the constitutional authority to chase from power even their most talented politician and principal savior of the city and of the nation, if this person showed problematic and potentially dangerous for the freedom of the people and the common good proclivities (this is not changed by the fact that the initial Spartan accusations of treason against Themistocles were most probably unfounded, as Themistocles had already lost his power and had been ostracized from Athens for other reasons- namely arrogant behavior and corruption). This and other aspects of the power of the people in the Athenian democracy are, despite the very real limitations and flaws of the great political and social experience that was this ancient democracy, a major historical innovation and legacy whose importance should not be underestimated.

[elladastinkardiamou]

The Demagogues of Ancient Athens

As ancient Athens moved away from kingship and Archaic-era tyranny during the 6th c. BC, formerly monarchial powers and duties were taken on by public magistrates, whose ranks eventually swelled to more than a thousand by the Classical 5th and 4th c. BC. Nevertheless, through family or tribe connections, political associations (hetaireiai) and social networking, often at symposia (upper-class dinner/drinking parties), the Athenian aristocracy maintained its hold on power.

In the face of rising popular anger over oppressive debt, increasing prices, inadequate representation and other perceived injustices, Solon proposed reforms in 594/593 BC that addressed all these issues and defined four classes of citizens (based on annual cereal production): the Pentakosiomedimnoi (500-measures), Knights, (300 measures), Zeugitai (200 measures) and Thetes (everyone else). He called for all citizens to participate in the Assembly (Ekklesia) and may have created the Council of 400 (Boule).

A second reformer, Cleisthenes, reorganized Attica in 508/507 BC into 10 geographically-based tribes, rather than four family-based tribes. He also increased the Boule to 500 members, 50 from each tribe, and established a more objective system of sortition for filling government positions and jury panels. To combat tyranny, Cleisthenes instituted ostracism.

The Ekklesia met on the Pnyx Hill, where speakers stood on an elevated bema to address a gathering of citizens that usually numbered at least 6,000 and may on occasion have reached tens of thousands. As Classical Athens’ prosperity and population expanded, along with its domestic and imperial administration, the lowest class (thetes) became increasingly necessary (e.g., as naval rowers and sailors) and thus potentially powerful.

Pericles and other 5th-c. BC politicians understood this and frequently took steps to appease these ordinary citizens, often through largesse. Final decisions in Athens’ direct democracy were made by The People (Demos) in the Ekklesia — where some politicians saw the jostling crowd, with its evolving role and collective desire to be courted and entertained, as their own opportunity.

[prrrk03]

EDICTVM Concept Art: Amanecer.

[imperium-romanum]

The Ins and Outs and 'Idiots' of Greek Democracy

Greece, or more specifically the city state of Athens, is considered to be the birthplace of democracy. Athenian democracy is well-documented and served as a model for the democracies of other Greek c

Greece, or more specifically the city state of Athens, is considered to be the birthplace of democracy. Athenian democracy is well-documented and served as a model for the democracies of other Greek city states. Although democracy is the de jure system of government in much of the world today, it is much different from that which was practiced by the ancient Greeks. In fact, some features of Athenian democracy might even be considered to be undemocratic by modern observers.

Continue reading